What Could Have Been
by Daggzandarrows
Summary: A collection of prompts and one-shots written around Outlaw Queen and featuring various others from the show. I like to write about the things that could have been for these characters. If you have any requests for continuations/prompts, you can message me on this account or find me on Tumblr - Daggzandarrows
1. A New Adventure

**_Written as a request on Tumblr for the Dark!OQ post-proposal reaction_**

He remained perched nimbly on the thin balcony railing, slowly lowering his bow and watching with a smile as she froze momentarily, head still and eyes no doubt focused on the ring dangling from the arrow as she tried to understand what to do.

Bold in every way but this, in matters of the heart - well, _her_ heart, at least - and it had taken him quite a while to convince her to allow the tenderness of him in when their frantic coupling - the pair of them often pulled together in the heat of the moment when teeth and nails were used to mark deeper than their barbed words ever could - had turned into a need to simply feel one another. Into bellies slick with sweat and heavy pants shared as bodies trembled together in the aftermath of them.

It'd been hard to get her here. Hard to convince her that he wasn't to be stolen from her, that he wasn't the man she'd lost nor would he allow himself to be but here they were.

His heart beat a little faster as he watched her finally move to unravel his note. He was quite sure her fingers - fingers that had ended lives with a simple flick - were trembling and he wanted to go to her, to keep her anchored in this moment because he knew how her mind wandered, knows the places it takes her even in the best of moments but he stays rooted. This is something she needs to decide on her own. She knows he's here, she'll come to him if she needs.

He focused, instead, on the long silken strands of her freshly brushed ponytail, on the bare expanse of her back left uncovered by one of his favourite dresses on her - she wears it to torture him, he swears blind that she does - and not on his want to know her answer. Never had he thought himself capable of feeling like this. There had been the beginnings of something with Marian when they'd been younger but nothing had come of it and, eventually, he'd taken to assuming that his life was to be spent alone.

…and then she'd come into his life.

She was like no other that he's ever known. Powerful, regal, nimble, daring, bold and achingly beautiful. She could be terribly frightening in her fury but then astoundingly soft in her tenderness, two ends of a very long spectrum. Every colour, every shade of her that he got to see only made him want her more.

"An adventure, hm?"

He grinned, taking her question as his cue to leap down from the balcony and move further into the warmth of their chambers. "The biggest we've faced, I fear."

Her shoulders bounced with a laugh she kept him from hearing before she turned her head but not her eyes so that he was able to see her profile, to see the smile curling at her lips. "Do you feel you're prepared for such an undertaking?" She shrugged, trying to keep an air of nonchalance despite the way he could still see her fingers trembling as they held tight to the parchment with the ring held in her palm.

"I do indeed, Your Majesty," he replied softly as he finally reached her and was able to place his palms on her hips, resting his chin on her shoulder after pressing a kiss to her neck. "It's one such adventure that I'm quite desperate to undertake with you by my side," it's not too often that they're sentimental but in times like these, they're quite adept at it. "You see, I've come to find that I can't function without you, my love. You are my dearest friend, my equal and my partner in all aspects of this life we live. I understand that marriage has not meant what it is supposed to for you in the past but know this…I will never ask of you more than you are willing to give, I will never think of you as my property to do with as I please. I will live my life with you in mind and by my side. We are a team. I do nothing without you and I do everything for you."

"Robin…" she breathed on a shuddered breath, turning in his arms to press their foreheads together as she asked, "is this what you really want?"

He laughed softly, lifting his hands from her hips to cup her jaw as he tilted his head up enough to press a kiss to her lips before he nodded and told her, "It is the _only_ thing that I want. So what do you say, Your Majesty?" he pulled back enough to look into beautifully dark eyes brimmed with tears, "will you marry me?"

She lifted a hand to stroke through his hair before cupping the back of his head and nodding, "Yes," and confirming her answer with a bruising kiss.


	2. Forgiveness

_**Written from the prompt: Peanut finds out about Zelena and is upset that her parents forgave her, "it takes a lot of courage to try & change your life."**_

"A foot will come crashing through that ceiling one day soon," Regina sighed as she whisked the pancake batter, shaking her head at the unrelenting thuds from above as their children raced to get ready despite Robin having woken them all a good half hour ago, "I can guarantee it."

"You love the chaos," he grinned, catching her by the waist and stepping in close as he dropped a kiss upon her shoulder before resting his chin there, grin still visible in her peripheral.

He was right, of course he was right. All she had ever wanted was a house filled with the laughter and infectious energy of children. Ever since she was just a young girl herself and though there had been a time in her life when such things had felt so out of her reach, here she was, a mother of 3 with another well on the way for them. She couldn't deny her adoration for their household and not to Robin especially. Still, she shrugged, feigning denial without voicing it and reveling in his low and delicious chuckle as he smoothed his palms over her round stomach.

"I can't believe we're doing this all over again."

"I know," she breathed, unable to hold her faux annoyance and shaking her head in wonder this time as she placed the mixture on the countertop and began turning slowly to face him when his arms loosened enough for her to do so. She laughed with him when her belly pressed into his, dislodging his sweater a little from his jeans before she lifted her arms to drape them over his shoulders and swirled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. "Are you ready for it all again?"

He grinned down at her, "With you? Always, my love."

Her smile matched his own before she was lifting herself onto her toes - heels had finally been relinquished when her feet had swelled and wearing them had verged on excruciating - and capturing his lips in a soft kiss, humming happily against his mouth when his hands rubbed gently over her back.

"Eurgh, seriously!?" Roland cringed as he came bounding into the kitchen, moving instantly over to the cupboard to grab himself a bowl and some cereal, popping a frosted flake into his mouth and crunching on it as he set himself up at the kitchen counter and began pouring the contents into his bowl, "will you ever stop doing that?"

Robin had yet to let go of Regina as he pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to their son and answering with a simple, "Nope," that had her laughing softly as Roland's eyes rolled - ever the teenager.

"I'm gonna move in with Henry, I swear."

"Good luck trying to convince him," Robin replied, his hands not leaving her until she was too far for him to reach as she moved to begin cooking the pancakes, "I'd say he's all set to ask his girl to move in with him."

"What?!"

His focus moved from his son to his wife, her look of horror apparently amusing with the way his lips curled before he nodded and told her, "He was moving some things around when I paid him a visit the other day, clearing some space, that kind of thing."

"But they're too young!"

"Mom," Roland spoke next, a look of amused incredulity on his face as he pointed out, "they've been together forever!"

"And they are adults now," Robin added.

" _Young_ adults," she amended for him, ignoring their laughter as she shook her head, "he's twenty three not-"

"What? Like fifty?" Roland sassed, pulling a snort of laughter from his father and a glare from his mother. "You'd still have him living here, tucking him in at night and reading him stories if you could."

Her mouth dropped open, spatula held frozen in mid-air as she looked from son to husband and back again, unable to come up with an appropriate response because, yes, actually, she would. Instead, she merely snapped her mouth shut and turned back to the pancakes, busying herself with their breakfast as Robin laughed sympathetically and moved towards her.

"Let's not upset your Mother this early, Ro, hmm?"

"Aw," he groaned, his seat scraping against the floor as he pushed up and off of it, "you're gonna get all gross again aren't you."

"You better believe it, my boy."

"I am so out."

Robin chuckled, hands finding Regina's hips as he watched him leave before his chin found its place on her shoulder again. He squeezed her hips gently when she remained silent and asked, "You okay, sweetheart?" and then, when she didn't reply, he assured, "we were only teasing, we didn't mean anything by it."

"I know," she replied after a long moment, because she did, of course she did, "it's just…"

"What?"

She frowned as she transferred the first set of pancakes from the pan to a plate before turning to glance at her husband. Her eyes fell from his to his lips and back again as she swallowed and confessed, "I'm not ready for Henry not to need me anymore."

His concern faded from his face as an incredulous smile curled his mouth and he breathed a laugh through his nose.

"What?"

He shook his head, dropping his lips to her shoulder to place a soft kiss there before lifting his head and finding her eyes once more. "If you truly believe that your boy, or any of our children for that matter, will ever stop needing you," he pecked her cheek, "then you are sorely mistaken, my love."

She didn't reply with words but he could still see the doubt in her lovely eyes, the want to believe him but the inability to despite the closeness she shared with all of their children.

"Besides," he continued, swaying them gently from side to side, "he's dropping a load of laundry by later this afternoon."

Her fear broke with a breath of laughter as she rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course he is."

* * *

"Where the hell did you manage to find this many?" she feigned frustration even as a smile curled her lips because, sure enough, the moment she came to a stop beneath the mistletoe, Robin's hands found her waist and spun her around to face him, his grin smug and far too attractive in her opinion.

"I have my sources."

"Mmm," she hummed, hands sliding up and over his chest to wrap her arms loosely around his neck, "I'm sure you do, thief."

It began with nothing but a press of his lips to her own at first, a beautifully tender kiss that had her humming low in her throat as his hands moved to rub at the base of her back in a way he knew she adored with the strain of her pregnancy. He sucked gently at her top lip before slipping his tongue into her mouth when she opened for him and sliding it against her own.

They kept it slow, deliciously so, as they simply enjoyed one another on this blessed holiday because, despite their many years of being together, they were even more in love now than they ever had been.

"Every single time," Henry whined from the doorway, levelling the pair with an overly dramatic grimace when they parted with a wet smack and turned their heads to look at him. "I swear," he shook his head, "it's like you wait until I'm coming over!"

"You think I don't snog your Mom every chance I get?" Robin teased, pressing one last kiss to Regina's cheek before moving towards Henry and shaking his hand with a chuckle at his son's expression, "because you'd be severely mistaken if that were the case."

"Yeah, well…" Henry cleared his throat with an awkward cough before looking to Regina with a sheepish smile curling his lips, "I brought you an early Christmas present!"

"I'm honoured," she replied with a deadpan expression before making her own way towards him and taking his laundry bag with a roll of her eyes as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You can come help me load the washing machine though," she instructed, glad to hear his footsteps mixing with her own, "and tell me all about this little rumour I've been hearing."

"And what rumour is that?"

* * *

"I can't believe you told her!"

"She's my wife!" Robin defended as he watched mother and son enter the kitchen, the former with a rather evil little smirk curling her lips as she moved to stand beside him. His arm came up to wrap around her shoulders and pull her close – she wrapped one arm around his waist whilst the other came across her body to rest her hand on his chest – as he shrugged at Henry, "besides, she was going to find out soon enough anyway."

"I haven't even asked Grace yet though," Henry replied with a heavy sigh, "the moment hasn't yet presented itself."

"And it never will," Robin replied honestly, continuing at the twin frowns from both Regina and Henry, "you'll want everything to be perfect – the weather, the time of day, the setting – but the truth is," he lifted his free hand to rest it over Regina's on his chest as his thumb rubbed gently over her engagement and wedding ring, "any moment together will be good enough for the simple fact that you are _together_."

It was a long moment before anyone spoke as both took in his words before Regina's head lowered to rest on his shoulder as she squeezed him around the middle affectionately and Henry replied, "You know, sometimes you're sappier than Grandpa C."

Robin's laughter rumbled freely in his chest as Regina's shoulders bounced with her own.

"But I guess you're right," Henry continued with a sigh, "I'm just putting it off for fear that she'll say no."

"Then you're not as intelligent as I raised you to be," Regina replied with a laugh as she straightened up once more but remained close to Robin, the hand on her chest dropping to rest on her stomach, "that girl is besotted with you."

"And she practically lives at your place already!" Robin added for it was true, "it's a rarity for us to come over and find you alone as it is. Just ask your girl to move in with you and be done with it. It'll be the best decision you'll ever make."

"Save for giving us Grandbabies," Regina pointed out with a smirk.

"One day, Mom," Henry laughed before they all startled a little at the sound of the front door opening having lost track of time.

There was the sound of the door slamming shut before they heard a pair of footsteps much faster and louder than the other as Roland called out, "Scar, just wait!"

"Roland?" Robin called, his frown just as deep as Regina's at the sound of their son's voice as both began making their way to the door with Henry following close behind.

Their youngest and only daughter was storming across the foyer, a murderous expression on her face that Regina knew to be inherited as she asked, "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

But when Scarlett only ignored her, Robin instructed, "Answer your mother, Scarlett."

She let out a sarcastic laugh – a horrible sound coming from her angelic little body – before she turned with eyes full of rage and spat, "She's not my mother," levelling Regina with an awful stare for a long moment before she took off at speed and ran up the stairs and out of sight.

Regina's heart was pounding in her chest, her throat tight with emotion as she looked from the space Scarlett had just been filling to Roland.

"What was that about?" Robin was the one to ask, his arm tightening around Regina for he could feel her trembling in his arms as Henry's hand came to rest on her shoulder, support from the only other person who'd ever uttered those words to her and knew how they broke her.

Roland looked from the stairs to his parents, apologetic eyes instantly finding Regina's as he explained, "She knows about Zelena."

"No…" Regina breathed as the tears in her eyes finally fell, "How could she-"

"She was waiting outside of school when we finished."

"She's back?!"

"She knows not to speak to her!" Robin and Regina spoke at the same time as Roland shook his head and moved closer to them.

"She didn't or, well, she wasn't going to. I think she just wanted to see her but that idiot Eli saw her and shouted for Scarlett to speak to her 'witchy mommy'. I told her to just ignore him but then some of the others joined in and she begged me to tell her the truth on our way back," he shook his head dejectedly as he added, "I'm sorry guys."

"It isn't your fault, Roland," Regina replied with a voice heartbreakingly thick as tears glistened in her eyes. She patted Robin's hand – a quiet plea for him to let her go – before she made her way out into the foyer and slowly began to climb the stairs. Despite her heartbreak at hearing those words from Scarlett's mouth, she wasn't one to allow wounds to fester.

* * *

Regina sank to the floor with her back against the wood of Scarlett's door at her daughter's continued silence. They'd had many a conversation – or lack thereof – like this for she had inherited the Mills' stubbornness but Regina knew that this was most definitely one of if not _the_ most important conversations they were going to have, active participants or not. So, with a hand taking comfort from the generous swell of her stomach, she began.

"Things were so very different before you were born, sweetheart. Your father and I almost lost one another too many times to count in the space of just a year. We had absolutely no idea what was going to happen from one day to the next except for one thing. The moment we knew that you were going to be coming into our lives, we understood that there was a bigger purpose for us and our family. We were supposed to be together, _all_ of us.

"It was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do, coming to terms with what my sister had done to your father simply to punish me but there was never a doubt in anyone's mind that we wanted you." She swallowed thickly as her head thudded softly against the door, hearing no sound from within as she closed her eyes and pushed on.

"Zelena was allowed very little time with you once you were born and certainly none of which was alone time. We were always there, present and watching. Things were difficult but we made it work and then one day your father told Zelena that, though he would never like her, he forgave her." Regina allowed a wistful smile to curl her lips as she confessed, "Impossibly, I fell even deeper in love with him that day. It takes a lot of courage to try and change your life and that was what he was doing that day. He was putting aside every ill feeling – deservedly felt – and giving my sister the chance to change.

"She did change," she shook her head despite knowing Scarlett wouldn't be able to see it, "but not in the way he'd hoped. Without that hatred, without that burning anger in your father, Zelena had nothing to cling to but acceptance and so, with no idea what to do with it, she fled. I managed to track her down in Oz not too long after your first birthday and I told her that she was never to contact us again. We'd given her far more than she deserved already and still she couldn't see the right path. She didn't deserve you and you didn't deserve the hurt of her return for her to leave once again. It was unforgivable what she did.

"You are one of the most precious things in my life, Scarlett Marian Locksley, and the thought of giving you up as she had is absolutely unimaginable to me…but I know that I have let you down in not telling you this sooner. You deserve to know where you come from, to discover who you are for yourself with all of the facts. We only kept it from you to protect you but I see now that it has only hurt you anyway and my heart breaks to think that I was the cause of that," she sniffed as tears fell from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, "I truly am sorry, my darling."

Regina took a moment to compose herself, taking a steadying breath to keep from crying any further – she felt as though she could quite easily drown in her tears – before shifting forward onto her knees and opening her eyes only to find a swirling cloud of smoke forming. Scarlett's arms were around her neck before she was even able to see her face properly.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Mama." It'd been a long time since her thirteen-year-old had called her such a name and it had Regina's tears falling once more as she clung on to her girl as best she could with her bump between them, "I was angry and embarrassed but I shouldn't have been mean to you. You are the best Mom I could ever ask for. I don't need anyone else."

Later, when Regina is able to let go of her daughter – though it's still too soon for Regina – they'll talk it out as a family and both Henry and Roland will explain to Scarlett that, though she didn't grow in Regina's tummy, much like they didn't, she grew in Regina's heart. It'll still take some time – and Zelena's disappearance once more – but she knows they will get there eventually for they have one another and that is where they were always meant to be. Every single one of them.


	3. Growing Up

_**Written from the prompt: Robin finds a condom wrapper in Henry's bedroom and is nervous about telling Regina**_

He loves her every single second of every single day without a shadow of a doubt but at night, when she's all soft and sleepy and only the last vestiges of her perfume linger in the crook of her neck, he absolutely adores her.

She's warm, pressed along the length of his side, eyes closed but a gentle smile playing upon her lips as she breathes out a low hum and nuzzles in closer. His fingers are drawing nonsensical patterns on the small of her back beneath his shirt that she favours over her silk pajamas, playing in the dimples he knows so well as he thinks over how best to tell her what he'd found earlier that evening.

He hadn't been snooping, Christ no, but that's what it looks like and he feels guilty as sin for it because it's not his business…but it is Regina's and he absolutely hates working her up for any reason other than pleasure but it's not something he can hide from her just as he knows that when the time comes, God forbid, she'd do the same with him should she be put in a similar situation with Roland.

"Babe?" he breaks the silence softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead and smiling at her drowsy 'hmm?' cuddling her closer with the arm he has around her shoulders. She's truly adorable in these late hours. "I, uh…" he swallows, nerves suddenly spiking in his belly even as he continues stroking over her soft skin, "I need to tell you something."

She tenses instantly in his arms before shifting away enough to prop herself up on an elbow, a frown creasing her forehead. She's not so sleepy anymore. "What is it?"

"Nothing bad," he assures quickly, and then, "not really." She relaxes a small amount - ever the pessimist, he knows she still believes things will crumble for her despite their growing years together - but sleep is absent from her eyes now. She's awake. "I noticed something in Henry's room earlier, when I was grabbing the laundry." It's something he does every other day, collects the boys' dirty clothes from their rooms and throws them into the washing machine whilst Regina finishes on dinner.

Her frown deepens further as her eyes narrow slightly and she replies with a confused, "Okay…" completely unaware of where this is going.

He swallows, why is this so hard? He knows why, of course he does but still…"I found a wrapper under Henry's bed."

"Is that it?" She lets out a great whoosh of laughter as she allows her arm to collapse beneath her and lays on her back on the bed, her relief evident because he hasn't finished even though she thinks he has.

He allows her a second before he adds, "It was a condom wrapper."

Her laughter stops abruptly at that, dark eyes widening as everything in her stills and she stares up at his grimace. She's as stunned as he had been.

It's something neither of them has allowed themselves to think about where their children are concerned but Henry is almost eighteen and he and Violet have been together for a number of years now. They're not children. They're in a committed relationship and, evidently, are practising safe sex. Still, it's one thing knowing that and a whole other accepting it. "Babe?"

She's still staring at him with eyes wide and breath silent as he waits her out. It doesn't take much longer before she whispers, "But he's just a baby…"

He tries, he really truly does try to quell his laughter but a little must break free and she swats his chest for it until he's breathing his apologies and telling her, "He's seventeen, sweetheart."

"So you're saying that Roland won't still be your baby at that age?"

"Well, no but-"

"Exactly!" she cries, rolling onto her back and placing a hand over her eyes, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this information?" she doesn't wait for his answer - thankfully for, despite his amusement at her earlier statement, he doesn't quite know what to do himself - "should I confront him? Tell him that I know he's having se-" she stops herself, swallowing thickly before groaning, "Christ, I can't even bring myself to say it."

"They are almost adults, Regina…" he reminds her gently with a palm over her stomach, glad when she weaves her legs with his own and tilts a little towards him as her palm falls to cover her mouth instead so that she can look at him, "and at least we know they're being safe. He's sensible and so is Violet and you know how it is when you love someone. You want to be as close to them as possible."

She knows this, of course she knows this - she and Robin are still like damn teenagers five years down the line with absolutely no signs of slowing down - but, "He's my baby…" she repeats almost mournfully. "I'm not ready for him to grow up yet!"

Robin laughs softly, curling her even further into him so she's in the same position as she started in so that he can rub her back.

It's a full five minutes of soothing before she stiffens in his arms once more and groans, "Who's going to tell Emma?"

His laughter is loud and full-bodied then - he can imagine Emma asking much the same question of Killian if this were the other way around, both mothers extremely protective of their boy - and he can't help but tease, "I am having nothing to do with that conversation!"

"Oh yes you are!" she warns with her own laugh - he's glad she's beginning to see the humour in it. They quieten after a long moment, both breathing one another in before she nuzzles in closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, and tells him, "Thank you for telling me, Robin."

He nods, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and replying, "You are welcome, my love."

Tomorrow they'll call Emma and break the news to her that their son is no longer a little boy - despite the fact that he towers over Regina and just about matches Robin's height - but for now he's content to hold his wife and ease her into this new area of their lives.


	4. His Return

_**Written from the prompt: "the way you say 'I love you', over and over again, till it's nothing but a senseless babble."**_

He can't believe it, he's here - finally.

Not that he's completely sure where _here_ is because he's never been to this part of the forest before but it's reassuring that he's in the forest at all having jumped into a damn swirling hole in the boggy ground and climbed from a well he hadn't known had existed. He's not quite sure if the nausea is from the realm travel or the excitement at having finally found his way back to here - to his boy, to his daughter, to his friends and to her.

"Regina…" he breathes, gathering his wits about him as he casts his eyes about the forest and over the dusty ground. There are tracks on the ground running parallel to one another and his lips curl into a smile having never been happier for the strangeness of this world and it's travel.

Tyre tracks.

* * *

"She likes you an awfully unfair amount," Zelena muses as she folds Robyn's blanket atop her knee and rests her hands there, sharp eyes watching the tiny hands fisting at the soft cashmere of Regina's sweater. "I barely get a smile from her these days save for when she has wind."

Regina merely rolls her eyes in response - she still finds it hard, sitting with her sister like this when such conflict still swirls in her gut - before she focuses attention back on the babe in her arms. She's still too young to distinguish which parent she resembles most but, biased as she is, Regina finds more of Robin in his daughter than she does her sister and, for that, she thanks whatever higher power lays beyond them.

She glances up to find Henry watching her from the bar stool beside Emma, a soft smile on his face because he's proud of her for choosing a path less travelled, for choosing forgiveness over revenge. It hasn't been easy. Not at all.

Too many times has she found herself waking up with a racing heart and sweat beading at her brow with the image of Zelena laying dead on the ground at her feet still imprinted on her mind. She hasn't told Henry of it in detail but he knows the pain and conflict in her heart and yet is proud of her all the same.

She gives him a small smile in response before her traitorous eyes wander to the person on the other side of Emma Swan - the Pirate.

Regina swallows against the bile that begins to rise when she thinks of the unfairness of it all and instead lets her focus fall back upon Robyn, wills her heart rate to slow and her breathing to calm.

She's worked too hard for the relationship she shares with her son. She won't ruin it now.

Emma still can't quite look her in the eye and, though they'd been forming something of a strong friendship over the past few years, at this moment in time Regina doesn't have the strength to pick it back up. Not just yet. It's too hard. She knows that she will only find that suffocating sympathy in emerald eyes - now that everyone believes she isn't going to level the town in its entirety - and her restraint isn't yet back to what it was. She's quite sure she'd snap the blonde's neck given the chance should such a look be bestowed upon her.

So yes, they'll take a time out for now.

Snow is no better than her daughter with the only difference being that she's taken to showing up on Regina's doorstep every other damn day, Neal in tow and that awfully bright smile curling her lips. She insists on being the shoulder for which Regina can cry on, the ear on which for her to unload but she doesn't want that. No matter how far she and Snow have come, she will not cry over another lost love to her.

Henry's a little different. Most nights he'll sleep in her bed now, even if she doesn't ask. It won't happen for much longer, she'll make sure of it but for now it's nice to have him close by and know that she isn't alone this time. She wishes for Roland too but that is something she'll never be able to change. He's better off away from her anyway. Away from the shroud of death that seems to surround her.

She startles out of her thoughts when a little hand lifts and brushes the underside of her jaw, great blue eyes – much more like Robin's than Zelena's – blink up at her curiously.

"I'm okay, sweetheart." She hopes one day, that will be the truth.

* * *

He breathes a sigh of relief when he reaches the tree line and emerges into much more familiar territory. He can see the fencing of the play park on which he'd chased Roland many an afternoon, the tall oak he'd pressed Regina against, hiding them from prying eyes as he'd thoroughly kissed her wonderful mouth and the missing knot of bark from his first day teaching Henry to shoot arrows. His stomach swirls with anticipation at the thought of creating more memories, of getting to know his daughter and re-joining them all once more.

He's about to head in the direction of Regina's house when he hears a familiar shout of his name and turns to find the Charmings staring wide eyed at him with an oblivious Neal on David's hip.

"Is it really you?" Snow breathes as he jogs across the grass to them. Her eyes are moving over him – he looks awful, covered in mud, dried blood and Merlin knows what else – as she lifts a hand to touch his shoulder, gasping to find him solid and warm beneath her palm. "But…I- I don't understand. How-"

"-I will most certainly explain everything to you both," he assures her, practically bouncing on his feet as he lifts his brows and continues, "but I am rather anxious to find my family, you wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?"

"The diner," David is the one to reply, looking just as stunned as his wife before he shakes his head as though to pull himself out of his stupor and offers, "I have the patrol car with me, would you like a ride?"

He heaves a sigh of relief, gives a soft chuckle as he nods and tells him, "I would very much appreciate that, yes. Thank you."

* * *

It's stifling, suffocating. She's never suffered from claustrophobia but she thinks, perhaps, she's feeling just a little bit of it now with the heat of poorly hidden glances burning her skin every so often. It's the first time since Robin's death that she's been out for any length of time and it seems that the townsfolk are getting their fill of her before she decides to retreat once again. Something that is sounding more and more appealing as the minutes tick by.

Robyn is sleeping, pillowed against her breast with a slack hand resting beside her beautiful little face and Regina wants to think her a traitor for taking her distraction from her but she can think of nothing but love for this tiny child. So innocent, so angelic. Nothing at all like her mother's side of the family.

She'd thought of the possibility of having children with Robin, as ridiculous as it sounds given the short amount of time they'd been allowed together, but she had. She'd imagined it in the same way that Henry's adoption had gone only with another by her side, eagerly waiting by the phone – because Rumple would have absolutely nothing to do with her business again, even if he had found Henry for her – anticipating the news of a child in need. They wouldn't necessarily have had to have been a baby for there are plenty of children in need of love no matter their age – she thinks of Emma at this point, a lost little girl left to grow up on her own, never sure of what each day would bring for her and Regina's heart constricts knowing that she'd done that to her in some way – but just someone for them to love and to protect.

She'd even fantasised about mornings spent with Robyn cradled to her chest, bouncing the beautiful babe whilst helping Robin get the boys ready for school. She'd allowed herself to believe that their little patchwork family was going to work, had gotten herself excited at the prospect only for it to fall apart as it always has done.

Regina blinks, pulling herself from such thoughts before she begins, carefully, shifting from the booth. "I have to go," she gives by way of explanation as she gently hands her niece over to Zelena, glad when her sister merely nods and takes Robyn into her arms. She knows not to push now, after Regina had apologised for the fight they'd had in her office, she knows to give Regina her space and for that, she is grateful.

Henry, on the other hand, jumps from his stool with an expression she's never seen him wear before and, as she glances back at Emma, she finds the blonde to be wearing quite the similar look. "You can't go yet, Mom!"

She blinks, surprised by the urgency of his tone. He's been wary, protective of her over the last couple of weeks but he's always understood her need for space when she asks for it…not that she's actually asked for it in this instance but he's normally quite adept when things are getting too much for her. "Henry, I…" she frowns, looking back over to Emma before her son once more, "I've had enough for today, I just want to go home and have a little quiet time. You're very welcome to come with me if you wish," she adds. It's his weekend with Emma but the schedule has been a little lax given recent events, still, he'd seemed excited about getting to know Killian a little better now that he and Emma seemed to have gotten themselves together.

She still despises the pirate but she trusts Emma's judgement

"I'll be okay," she rests her hands on his shoulders, giving as much a smile as she can manage with so many pairs of eyes on her – how she wishes she had the energy for just one scowl – "I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"No!" he startles her with his sharp reply, "I mean," he backtracks, peering back at Emma as though for support before he continues, "just…stay for a little longer, yeah?"

Her frown deepens, "Henry, what's-"

"Seriously, Regina," Emma interrupts, standing from her stool and drawing closer. There's apprehension in her eyes given their current relationship and break from one another's company but still, she adds, "You're going to want to stay, trust me."

Regina's head shakes as she looks between the two of them, that feeling of claustrophobia growing at the way they seem to be keeping her where she stands instead of just allowing her to leave. It isn't until the bell above the diner door rings, signalling someone's entrance, and she hears Zelena's _"Oh my God…"_ that she understands the reason for their intervention.

She turns her head automatically to see who has pulled such a reaction from her sister only to feel time stand absolutely still as she looks as the one person she thought she'd only get to see in her dreams from now on.

* * *

His heart knocks hard in his chest as he finds beautiful dark eyes on him, a smile instantly curling his lips even as all air seems to be pulled from him at the sight of her standing only feet away from him…finally.

"Regina…" he manages after a long moment. She's in dark jeans that hug tight around her lean legs, those familiar heels allowing her to stand just a little taller than the son she seems to be using as an anchor all of a sudden – Henry's hands have moved to her waist, steadying her even as he smiles back at Robin. The blouse she wears is one of his favourites, a royal blue that compliments the olive skin he longs to touch, to taste, but far too concealed by the black blazer she's wearing over it. Her dark, silken hair is shorter than he's seen it before but still his fingers itch to touch it. She looks absolutely breath-taking.

Her eyes are wide, fearful even as her lips part gently and she utters a soft, "Robin?" sounding younger than he thinks he's ever heard her before as he nods and takes a step closer, saddened to see how she takes one back and shakes her head. "What kind of cruel magic is this?" She turns to look at her sister, at those staring wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before them before looking to Emma. "Who did this?"

"Regina, I-" he moves to assure her that this is no trick, no spell but it's Henry who steps forward and stops them both from speaking.

"I can't be sure but…" the boy swallows, looking from his mother to Robin and back again, "I think I did it."

She turns to him, the tears on her cheeks catching in the artificial light of the diner as she asks, "Henry?" sounding utterly heartbroken. She thinks it's not real though, thinks _he's_ not real still and he aches to reach her, to prove her wrong but she's still backing away from them all like an animal cornered, waiting to be tortured.

"It's not a spell though, Mom," Henry explains, turning his back on Robin to face his mother as he takes a tentative step closer as though afraid she'll turn and run should he move too quickly. "I wrote him back, after Hades did what he did, I thought there could've been some time before his soul was completely destroyed and I didn't know if it had worked because I wanted to make sure they had enough magic to heal him if that's what he needed so I wrote him back to the Enchanted Forest."

"I woke up in a small village, one I'd never seen before a little way away from your castle," Robin confirms. "The village elder took me in, fed me and gave me water until I was strong enough to leave. Strong enough to come and find you."

"How did you get back here?" Snow asks from behind him but he doesn't turn to look at her, can't tear his gaze away from Regina. She's hit a wall now, keeps herself upright even as she trembles.

"Maleficent found me," he explains, still stunned by his aid as he adds, "seems she's had a little change of character and," he smiles at Regina, "she said that she'd been able to find her happiness and so she wanted to help her only friend in finding her own…even if I do smell of forest."

A strangled sort of laugh escapes Regina even as her tears continue to fall.

"She gave me her last bean and sent me on my way to Lake Nostos, I was able to dig and use the waters to bring me here to the well."

"And that's when you found us?" David asks to which Robin nods.

"That's when I found you, too," he adds, still growing closer to Regina, glad when she remains in place. "The moment I stepped foot on the soil here, I could feel you again, Regina. Don't you feel me too?"

Her breath catches even as her face crumples and she nods. He's only a foot away when she blinks through her tears and asks quietly, "Is it really you?" and when he nods, he's able to catch her when her legs give out from beneath her.

* * *

She's a mess, a quivering, trembling mess as she grips at him and buries her face in his neck, sobbing all the more at the familiar scent of him.

"I apologise if I smell a little ripe, my darling," he laughs and she can hear his tears as he holds her even closer to him and cups the back of her head with his free hand, "I'm afraid I've been travelling for quite a few days now without rest. I couldn't wait to get back to you."

"You smell wonderful," she sobs against him, hands stroking through his hair, gripping desperately at the strands before she trails them down his neck and cups his jaw, guiding his face back so she can look at him properly, "you _look_ wonderful."

He chuckles wetly as the hand at the back of her head moves to cup her jaw in the same way and his thumb strokes over the sharp bone of her jaw. "As do you, my love."

It is she that pulls his lips to her own, unable to do anything more than simply press her mouth against his as she whispers, "I love you," over and over and over again until he's unable to distinguish between the three wonderful words that he's been longing to hear, longing to say.

He gets to now though as he too joins in the mantra and moves to pepper kisses across the entirety of her face, pulling giggles from her still laced with the painful realisation of his return before he kisses at her neck and contents himself with holding her close once more.

She'll tell him of Roland's departure when she's able to say anything other than _'I love you'_ and they'll formulate a plan to send word to his men that they'll be returning to the forest to collect him soon but for now, all that either of them is able to do is hold tight to one another and thank whatever higher power there is that he has been able to return to her. Higher power and Henry, of course.


	5. Time Wasters

_**Written from the prompt: We were younger then but now we're older**_

He lathes his tongue over the stiff peak of her nipple before sucking it into his mouth and pulling back, letting it fall from his lips with a wet pop that only heightens her desire. He grins at her as he peppers stubbled kisses over the swell of her breast, dipping into the valley between before making his way over her other and taking the other nipple in his mouth.

 _His fingers move from teasing her over the lace of her panties to slip beneath the waistband and feel the wetness pooling between her thighs. She gasps, eyes almost rolling in her head when he strokes his finger through her folds and finds her clit, gently circling the sensitive nub as he continues sucking at her._

 _He'd promised the second time round would be slower once they'd let loose the pent-up energy of being together like this, that he wanted to take his time with her but she'd had no idea he meant this. She'd been unable to touch him from the moment she'd awoken to find him cradled between her thighs with his lips moving along her collarbone. He's torturing her in the very worst (and best!) way possible._

"Should I be worried that you weren't next to me this morning?"

She startles out of her thoughts – and thank God, just the memory of last night has her skin tingling – and turns to find him walking towards her, shoes crunching the gravel underfoot with two to-go cups in his hand. "Robin," she breathes.

"I, uh, took the liberty of grabbing us a couple of coffees," he explains needlessly as he stands beside the bench, only sitting when she answers his silent question with a nod of her head. "I hope you don't mind."

Regina takes hers with a small smile, their fingers brushing in the exchange of her cup, before turning her gaze back out to the sea. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"You always said the waves have a way of clearing your mind."

She blinks, absolutely no recollection of having said that to him – certainly not recently – but she must have for it's not really common knowledge, her love of the water. Only her Daddy had known such a thing about her for he'd bring her here when she was a child to soothe her.

She lifts her cup to her mouth, taking a small sip as he asks, "Should I be worried?" It burns her tongue, her throat as she swallows to answer him, to reassure that no, he shouldn't be worried but it doesn't seem to sit as she'd hoped with him. There's a frown creasing his forehead that she doesn't like nor is she enjoying the way his lips have turned down despite the nod he gives her in return.

"Robin," she urges him to look at her, placing her free hand on his thigh and stroking her thumb across the denim in a way that she hopes is comforting, "this isn't about regret…well, not entirely."

His frown doesn't disappear as his blue eyes move between her own, "I don't understand…"

"We wasted so much time!" she shakes her head, the frustrations that have been building in her mind since she'd awoken the second time, cocooned in the warmth of the man beside her and watching as he'd slept soundly. "We knew back then that we were real, that what we had together was real but I let my mother get into my head. I let her threats to hurt you scare me," it wasn't unfounded, her fear for Robin for Cora had done it before, had orchestrated Daniel's death and washed her hands of it like it was nothing instead of the horrific tragedy that it had been, "but you were right. We should have just run away when we had the chance."

Robin shakes his head, placing his coffee cup on the ground beside him along with Regina's as he shifted forward on the bench and lifted his hands to cup her jaw, smiling softly, mournfully at her. "We wouldn't have survived in the real world, Regina. We had barely any money to our name, knew not a single soul outside of this damn town and had no real understanding of anything other than each other. It would've been a mistake to run."

"But that's just it," she breathes, lifting a hand to lay atop Robin's on her face, "what makes it so different now? What makes you think that we'll work this time? That we won't just end up heartbroken again?"

"Number one, and with all due respect," he tells her with the hint of a smirk on his lips, "your dear mother is no longer with us." They'd spoken of Cora's death – the reason for Regina's return and subsequent decision to stay in town – over the past couple of weeks and he understands the conflict that lies in her heart, she knows it does so his comment doesn't sting, merely pulls a small smile from her even as she trials her hand down enough to loop her fingers around his wrist, keeping herself anchored to him. "Number two," he ducks his head in to press a tender kiss to her cheek, "I have enough money to keep us both afloat should you wish not to accept the inheritance no doubt coming to you shortly. Number four, we are known, liked and loved in this town – me more so than you but not to worry," he chuckles when she swats at his arm for his teasing before he grows serious and pulls back to assure her, "we were younger then," because they were, so much younger, "but now we're older and all that time has made me realise is that we are supposed to be together.

"This is our time, Regina. This is our chance, could be our chance…if you'll let it?"

Her skin is tingling once more but not with arousal this time. It's with anticipation, with fear and with slight apprehension but as she looks into familiar blue eyes that had haunted her during the time she'd stayed away from Storybrooke, she finds the answer already on her tongue. "Okay," she breathes, heart thumping in her chest all the more when he takes in her reply and his smile grows exponentially. "Okay."


	6. Pining - Part 1

_**An OQ/Ex-EC fic - no character bashing, just endless yearning from a certain Prince**_

He watches from afar, always from afar.

If they should ever cross paths – they never do, where he can help it – he adopts the very same mask he'd watched her wearing for so many years and exchanges pleasantries before tearing himself away as quickly as possible. Robin buys it – or at least pretends to, David's quite sure she's told him of their past - but he knows Regina doesn't. Still, she can only offer sympathy where he wants much more from her. Things that he will never again be allowed.

He watches the hand pressed against the small of her back when she's being guided towards the counter in the diner or through the exit. He can still feel the phantom warmth of her beneath his palm, craves that feeling again.

He watches and burns from within whenever he catches Robin dropping kisses to her shoulder or the delicate skin of her neck or, on the worst of occasions, when he steals a kiss from those full lips that David finds himself dreaming of night after night. It kills him to watch her being happy with someone else but he knows, despite his despair, that it is his own fault.

He'd wasted the chance they had together. Squandered it and it wasn't as though he'd believed that he had all the time in the world to reconcile with her – a part of him had, an awful part that reminded himself that she was the Evil Queen and that who else, if not he, would want her – but he hadn't expected Robin.

He should've tried harder – when he'd believed her mother's trickery and accused her of murdering Archie, a man who wasn't even dead to begin with – to apologise, to show her that she could trust him, that he was worthy of being her 'person'. He should've tried harder but he didn't.

It wasn't as though he'd gone back to Snow. She wouldn't have had him anyway if he'd have tried for he had shattered her heart and that was the very reason he never did try. It wouldn't have been fair to her and it's strange that he can watch her with another man, can converse far more easily with Snow and her new husband as he collects Neal for the weekend than he can Regina and Robin.

But he'd betrayed Regina's trust. Had left her all alone and vulnerable at a time she'd needed him most and he wasn't supposed to be that person. He was supposed to stand by her no matter what, the person he'd convinced her that he was when they'd begun their affair and so, for the first time in her life, she'd put herself first and had cut him off completely to keep him from hurting her any further. He'd thought, perhaps, that in time they'd be able to work through it but he'd been wrong.

He hadn't been allowed near her after Greg's attack – though he still remains content knowing that he'd put a bullet through that man's skull the moment he'd been able to find her in the cannery – and she'd stayed well away when they were in Neverland, when she'd bent Tamara's spine in half for taking Henry, and during their subsequent return. He had tried, in the beginning, when they'd returned to their land and were residing in the castle but her attention would always be on another. Robin.

David wonders if she'd have been so open to the Outlaw's affections had he never have been in the picture for he remembers how closed-off she had been when they'd first begun – the kiss, as they'd been searching for ways to bring Emma and Snow back from the Enchanted Forest, had been unexpected but had lit a fire within them both. Still, she'd been stubborn, had turned him away more often than not until he'd exhausted her resolve and she'd let him in, blessedly – but he has never begrudged her happiness and, though it kills him, to think that he helped to guide her to her soulmate and to finally let happiness in without suspicion or terror is good enough for him.

Still, he never can help but watch from afar.


	7. Pining - Part 2

"Morning, babe," he greets with a kiss to her cheek and a soft hand on her hip that leaves her skin tingling. He'd heard the endearment from the television, one of the many shows Henry has shown him and once he'd tried it out, he'd found that it stuck and she can't say that she doesn't like the way it makes her feel when he says it. "Are the kids awake?"

"They're in the living room," she replies with as big a smile as she can manage. Her stomach is churning, nerves alight as she watches him take the mug of coffee she'd made for him from the countertop with a smile. It falters a little when he turns and leans with his back against the counter, looking at her properly for the first time.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she immediately assures him because, it's not really…but then, she's not sure how he's going to take it. She doesn't think he'll be angry, disappointed perhaps but she's quite sure it's not going to change his mind about her…or, at least, she hopes it isn't. Either way, he needs to know if they are to move forward and that's what she wants for them. To be able to move forward without fear of the past ruining everything. "I just…" she takes a steadying breath as she leans forward with elbows on the countertop, "there's something I want you to know about me…about my past here in Storybrooke."

He nods, "Okay," with a frown as he moves to sit on one of the stools opposite her, watching as she steels herself to speak before reaching for one of her hands and telling her, "whatever it is, Regina, it won't change the way I feel about you."

"That's what I'm hoping," she replies on a weak laugh, squeezing his hand in return before she begins. "A few years ago, not too long after the curse broke, Emma and Snow fell through a portal which sent them back to our land."

Robin nods thoughtfully, "I remember hearing talk of their return."

Regina replies with a nod of her own, "It was an accident, them ending up there. Rumple had sent a wraith to take my soul," his hand tightens instinctively around hers and she can't help the rush of gratitude that floods her at his protectiveness but she continues, "we'd planned to lure it close enough to send it through the portal and have done with it but something happened. It latched onto Emma and dragged her through with it and Snow being Snow, she jumped through after her. By the time David got close enough to try, the portal had closed and he was left face down on the ground."

"He must have been devastated."

She nods, "He was. He thought, as well as Henry, that I'd done it on purpose. Orchestrated the entire thing to rid myself of them both."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Not in those days, Robin," she tells him, gently reminding him, as she has done before, that she wasn't always the person she is now. "They had every right to think that of me but, in order to convince my son that I truly hadn't planned on their disappearance, I promised to help in returning them."

"David started checking in more and more, our frustrations mounting higher and higher every time I was unable to find a solution until we reached our boiling point and took it out on one another."

"You slept together," Robin surmises easily – it's not a shock, his conclusion for the very same thing had happened with them during the missing year, they'd taken anger and frustration and lust out on one another and had had quite the volatile coupling for the first few weeks until things had begun to settle within them. The main difference had been that there had been no hiding hers and Robin's relationship once they'd established their shared feelings. No shame nor any guilt for either of them.

Still, he's not quite right and so she admits, "Eventually, after weeks of pushing him away, of feeling ashamed after every kiss we shared, yes, we slept together. We had an affair and I still hold shame over that to this day. It wasn't right…but I was alone, I had no one but him and, begrudgingly, he'd become my friend over the time we spent together."

"Did you ever love him?" Robin asks.

"No," she replies honestly, easily. She never did. "But I could have."

"What happened?"

She takes a moment just to look at the man standing opposite her, both hands now holding her own as his thumb rubs across her skin. There is no judgement in his eyes, no hurt, no disgust, nothing but the kindness and warmth she's come to know over the last few months. "My mother came to Storybrooke just after Snow and Emma's return after finding out about Henry – she knew I had a weakness here, one that she could exploit and she did. She promised to help me get him back and I was so desperate that I believed her."

"What she really wanted was me alone, weak and vulnerable, malleable to her aims. She used a glamour spell to look like me and she staged Archie's death," she breaths deep, remembering the dark time, "everyone believed that it was truly me, that I had killed him despite my promise to Henry that I would no longer use magic. They told him and he turned from me once more, they all did…including David."

"That betrayal, the way he was so happy to believe that I would do such a thing after I'd been trying so hard, after he'd held me on the bathroom floor when I was trembling from the build-up of magic within me having not casted for such a long time…it was too much for me to bear and so, I told him never to return. I had his things sent to the diner with a note that reiterated my wishes. He tried, of course, many a time to apologise, asking for a second chance but it took until after Archie had reappeared unharmed for him to do so."

"It was too late by then," Robin surmises for her as she nods.

"What he did just proved to me that he could only want me if I was the person he wanted me to be. The 'good' guy."

"And even when you were that person, he still didn't truly believe it," he adds softly, gently.

"Precisely." It doesn't hurt anymore, doesn't sting like it once did yet she still sheds a tear. "I'm not crying for him though," she assures Robin, "it's for myself. For how far I've managed to come on my own."

He gives her a moment, even as he rounds the counter and pulls her into his arms, he gives her a quiet moment to just breathe before he strokes her hair back behind her ear. "I'm glad you've told me this, Regina, even if only so I have the facts but, may I ask, why are you telling me?"

This answer is a little easier to give, especially when she loops her arms around his waist and stares into those wonderful blue eyes of his before she replies, "Because I love you."

It's the first time she's said it to him and it feels wonderfully natural falling from her lips so, she repeats it.

"I love you, Robin Locksley, and I want to be able to move forward in our lives without the past ruining that."

He looks at her for a long moment before a beautiful smile curls his lips and he replies, "I love you too, Regina Mills," before swooping down and capturing her lips in a loving kiss.

* * *

He watches her. It's something Robin has noticed only since she'd told him of her relationship with David but he knows, as he thinks back to all of the times they've run into the man, that it's not just a one-off. He watches her, he always has done.

Robin wants to say something the first time he realises what David is doing, but then Regina turns to face him, to ask if he wants to split a dessert with him as she presses her palm over his heart and smiles up so beautifully at him and he realises that nothing needs to be said. David may watch, may pine for Regina but Robin has the honour of holding her heart and so, with nothing more than a smiling nod and a quick kiss to her lips, he wraps his arm around her waist and thanks Merlin that he was brought to this tender and bruised woman when he was.


	8. Thankful

"I will never allow you to feel anything less than what you are," he hears as he pauses in the doorway to listen. The door is cracked just enough for him to see her silhouette on their bed, lit only by the moonlight streaming in through the window so he can't see her face but he can imagine enough with the tone of her voice. The baby is propped up against her thighs, little fists curled around Regina's thumbs as she bends her knees further to bring her closer and continues, "I will love every little part of you, both good and bad, and I will do my best to steer you in the right direction but I will allow you to choose which path you take."

He knows her fear of raising a baby girl – one he'd found utterly bemusing considering the gentle heart in which their boys reside ( _"Our family track record doesn't shine favourably on girls,"_ she'd sniffed tearfully one night when he'd asked her about it) – but he knows that she's assured enough now to allow herself the freedom to love Olivia in the way that she wants without worry.

"You will be allowed to love absolutely anyone that you wish to. Be they male or female, human or otherwise – within reason of course," Robin just manages to stifle his chuckle as Regina bops the baby on the nose playfully – how he wishes he could see her smile as she laughs softly – "your father and I will never judge nor will we try to hold you back. But you must remember, my sweet girl, that we will always fight for what is best for you and sometimes you may not like our decisions but they will always be in your best interests. You are precious to us, you see."

She scoops Olivia up then, carefully and with a practised ease, with gentle hands cupping her armpits as she lifts her and brings her closer. The baby's feet kick slightly before coming to rest just below Regina's breasts as his beautiful brunette presses a tender kiss to their daughter's cheek.

"You will learn of your birth one day, my darling, of that I am sure but when that day comes, you will already understand how very loved and wanted you are. You will understand that, no matter the circumstances of your conception, never was there a day nor never will there _be_ a day upon which any of us regret a single thing for the very best thing came out of the very worst of things and that, Olivia," Regina lowers her for one last kiss to her cheek before pulling the baby back to see her face once more, "that is you."

He waits for a moment longer with a heart so full of love, watches as Regina shifts the baby to lay upon her chest with her little face snuggled into the crook of her neck – it's Olivia's favourite place to sleep, it seems for she only settles down for the night when Regina holds her in such a way – before he slowly opens the door fully and makes his presence known with a soft "Hello," as he makes his way towards the bed.

"Are the boys okay?" Regina asks, she sounds sleepier now that she's not speaking with their daughter, and he's glad to see a soft smile on her face when he's finally close enough to make out her features – Gods, she's beautiful.

"Both sound asleep," he assures with a kiss to her forehead before he does the same to Olivia and climbs as carefully as he can into bed beside his girls before opening his arms out to Regina once he's settled. They'll take the baby to her crib in a few moments, when her breathing has evened out sufficiently but for now – like every night – Regina cuddles into him with her head on his shoulder and sighs contentedly when he wraps his arms around her, holding her as close as he can without disturbing the baby. "I am so very thankful for you, my love."

"I know," she replies easily, as she nuzzles her head in closer to him, "just as I am for you, every single day."

He smiles, turning his face to press another kiss to her forehead before he whispers back, "Every single day," and contents himself with holding his girls close for a few moments in the quiet peace of the night.


	9. Not So Easy to Forget

_**Set in a verse in which Robin came with the first curse**_

"We need to talk about what happened last night," he says in lieu of a greeting. She'd been expecting him all morning, he's never been one to let things lie, but her heartrate increases even so.

"Thank you for knocking," she drawls, proud of herself for sounding completely disinterested in his presence despite the fact that she hasn't been able to get him off of her mind, "please, make yourself at home." She rolls her eyes when he merely continues standing before her desk with his sleeves rolled up and that damn tattoo so astoundingly vivid on his wrist, dropping her eyes to the paperwork she's been attempting to read for the last two hours to no avail. Words apparently make no sense to her anymore and it's because of the very idiot standing in front of her.

"We can't just pretend it never happened."

"And why is that?" her eyes lift once more – she internally wishes that he weren't so handsome and that she weren't so weak – trailing over the length of him before landing on his own bright blue. Her first mistake.

"Because I don't want to," is his simple and, apparently, honest answer and really, she's allowed herself to walk into that heart-achingly blunt response because she doesn't want to either but she has to even if only for the sake of her curse – she tries to quieten that awful little voice in the back of her mind that reminds her how much Henry loves Robin (even if he doesn't love her) and how much she (begrudgingly but openly) adores his boy.

"Shame," she manages, eyes falling once more for the simple fact that Robin – or Sean in this realm - has always had the unnerving talent of knowing when she's lying. Unlike others in this town, he can read her like a book and she'd think him to be awake already if it weren't for the acceptance of his 'curse' persona, "because, Sean, I already have."

She's gotten to her feet, still looking down at the pile of paperwork but making her second and, perhaps, most important mistake. She's opened herself up for access.

"Oh yeah?" he laughs humourlessly, footsteps light and muffled by the thick carpet of her office as he rounds her desk and lifts her face with both hands, "forget this."

Regina gasps against him when he lowers his mouth to her own – she'd forgotten to slip her heels back on with his sudden intrusion and she finds she quite likes that she's a head shorter than he is, likes the way he encompasses her despite the voice in the back of her mind telling her she shouldn't be liking any of this – her hands left frozen in mid-air at either side of them both as she mentally scolds herself when she automatically begins kissing him back.

He slips his tongue into her mouth and against her own the first chance he gets, licking and sucking at her in a way that has images of the previous night flashing through her mind – of other places he'd licked and sucked.

She moans on instinct and takes fistfuls of his shirt over his waist as she presses closer to him, unwilling to let the kiss end even when he begins to pull back.

He chuckles against her mouth, allowing her the extra contact before slowing the kiss entirely with his fingers threaded through her hair and scratching lightly at her scalp in a way that makes her want to purr. Her eyes are still closed when he speaks, breath hot pants against his lips just as her own as against hers. "I want to see what happens between us," he presses on, trailing his nose the length of hers before letting his forehead rest against her own. "I want you to let go for once and just let things be." He waits for her to open her eyes once more, tilting his head and lifting his eyebrows slightly – he's on the very edge of pleading, she thinks – before he asks, "Can you do that, Madame Mayor?"

She doesn't answer with words simply because she doesn't have them in her. He's expressive and poetic almost in the way he speaks whereas she is careful and anal in the words she chooses. He deserves more than that so, despite every cell in her body screaming at her to protect her curse and tell him to leave, she finds herself giving him a small nod before she pulls his lips back to her own before she is able to change her mind.


	10. A New Life

_**Set in the Page 23 verse**_

"Where have you been? You little minx," Robin mutters with eyes still closed as he reaches for her the moment she slips back beneath the blanket and slides her closer to him. She giggles softly when he buries his face into her neck and burrows into her.

"I just wanted to confirm something," she replies, wrapping one arm around his waist whilst using the fingers of her other hand to play with the hair at the nape of his neck as their legs tangle loosely together. She hadn't wanted to move from his warmth when she'd awoken in his arms but there was something of importance to be done. She's quite surprised really that he can't feel the energy pulsing from her body.

"And did you?" he asks, his strong arms tightening around her waist. She loves mornings like these, when they can lay together in such a way, loves the simplicity of it all after a life such as hers. "Did you confirm it?"

She nods, pressing a kiss to his hair as best she can with the way she can't stop smiling.

"And what, precisely, is _it_?"

They hadn't been planning it, not in any sense and certainly not with their current situation. They're still laying low, still receiving word of the King's guard combing every inch of the Kingdom for her from those Robin trusts but despite it all, she cannot find it in her to be anything other than ecstatic when she tells him, "We are to have a baby."

He hadn't been moving much, in all honesty, but she feels everything still in him at her words and, for just a moment, she worries…but then he lifts his head from her neck so that he is able to look, bleary-eyed, down at her with lips softly parted in shock.

His arms are still around her, legs still tangled with her own beneath the blanket but the simple loss of his upper body against her own has Regina shivering in the cold of the early morning air as she waits for his reaction, completely unable to read his expression until a wondrous smile breaks his face.

"A baby?" he asks needlessly with tears in his eyes to match her own, "are you sure?" She nods, choking on a quiet but happy sob before laughing melodiously when he rolls them so that he is hovering above her with hands framing her jaw as he peppers kisses all over her face between his words. "You wonderful," kiss, "beautiful," another kiss, "clever," one upon her nose, " _brave_ woman." He captures her lips with his own but it isn't too long before it's breaking apart at the seams with the way they're both smiling so widely. "We are to have a baby? Truly?"

"Truly, my love," she repeats, catching the tear that falls from his eye before cupping his cheek and simply looking up at him, so very glad that she was brave enough to go into the tavern and chase love. "We are to have a baby."


	11. Petite

He still can't wrap his mind around it even now, months after meeting and falling for his Regina. This woman, this ferocious, once widely feared Queen is absolutely tiny.

With dainty fingers that slip so delicately through his own, that wrap so perfectly around his cock - not as perfectly as her delicious mouth, of course, but that is something else entirely - that move so nimbly over the buttons of her shirt that he sees fit to unbutton whenever he can, much to her feigned annoyance. She's adorably petite and it's just one more thing to add to the list of reasons he loves her.

Her temper isn't as tiny, of course, but again, it's simply another thing to add to the list. She no longer flattens entire villages with her ire but she's still one to be reckoned with by the townsfolk of Storybrooke.

Robin has always loved how petite she is - particularly when she's being especially stubborn and he is able to throw her over his shoulder and carry her up to the bedroom to work out her frustrations or when she's shivering in her sleep having rolled away from him and he can simply guide her across the bed and back into his warmth with a gentle pull - but, he's realised, there is another just as enamoured with her size as he. Roland.

After years spent being cared for by big, burly men of the forest, Robin can see the allure of a sweet smelling, soft and loving body to cuddle into. Her chest makes quite the comfy pillow apparently and he's sure the delicate fingers that trace his son's hairline are rather an addictive feeling - they'd been quite the cure for his bout of flu a few weeks prior - but he knows it's the motherly-ness of her that his son loves the most.

She's safety and security and unconditional love all wrapped up into one pretty parcel for Roland to enjoy and enjoy he does.

They've taken to sharing nap time together and today is no different, or so Robin thinks as he leans against the door jamb of the living room and watches Roland's head rising and falling softly with Regina's deep and even breaths. But, it seems, she is not asleep for she whispers softly, "I want another," just loud enough for Robin to hear.

It's something they've spoken of, the curse she'd cast upon herself - Snow has recently brought to light the waters of Lake Nostos and their healing powers - and though Regina is apprehensive and has told him that she doesn't want to try simply because she knows he'd get his hopes up, they've spoken of adoption also - for Henry and Roland prove that a child needn't have grown in her belly for them to have grown in her heart - and he's not sure which route it is she wishes to take but right now, as he crosses the room as quietly as he can to kneel beside her and take her soft and dainty hand within his own, he finds he doesn't need the answer right now for it doesn't matter because, "I would love nothing more."

And her smile, her beautiful and heart-wrenchingly emotional smile, is small for he knows she is tired but still, as does the rest of her, it fills up his entire heart.


	12. No Place I'd Rather Be

"As romantic as all of this was," Regina chuckles, the sound carrying as best it can with the way she's shivering, standing over him with a torch to better help him work out how to get the back-up generator to work, "don't you think we should just call this a night?"

A large groaning clank of metal is her immediate response, followed by a triumphant, "There!" from Robin as he lifts himself to his feet once more, knees cracking with the adjustment. "Give it a few minutes and we'll be nice and toasty, love."

"I may ice over before then." She moves further back into the very slight warmth of the cabin, switching off the torch as she waits for Robin to close the door behind him.

He grins, those dimples far too attractive for the situation he's gotten then into. "Well, we can't have that can we?" but instead of the suggestive comment she's expecting, he steps around her to grab the blanket folded over the sofa, unfolding it and wrapping it around his shoulders before opening his arms in invitation and grinning, "get in here, my little love bug."

She rolls her eyes at the term, too cold at the moment to scold him for it, before she shuffles over the floor with fuzzy socks that match his and wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her chilly nose into the crook of his neck and smacking his arm lightly when he teases her for it.

"Do you still want to call it a night?" he asks after a long moment, wrapping the blanket a little tighter around them.

She knows he'd agree if she truly wanted to but she finds, as the heat begins to creep back into her bones, that "No," she doesn't, because, "there's nowhere else I'd rather be than here."


	13. Real

_**Set in the Robin Came Over With The First Curse AU**_

"You have no business here," she hears, unable to see anything past Robin who's blocking the gap between the door and the mob gathered on her front yard. "I suggest you turn around and leave before things get out of hand."

"Robin…" she utters softly, stopped by the hand he lifts in her direction requesting her silence.

"How can you defend her after everything that she's done to us!?" she hears Whale demand and it's something she too isn't quite sure of. She'd thought, if anything, he'd have been the first to bang down her door demanding answers but instead he'd picked the lock of her back door – of course he had – before finding her in Henry's bedroom and doing nothing more than sitting on the edge of the bed beside her with a warm hand covering her own. His jaw had been set and there had been hurt colouring his blue eyes but he was telling her that he was there and not going anywhere. It confused her to no end.

"My reasons are my own but know this," she finally catches a glimpse of the crowd outside – half of the town it looks like, including the Charmings and their daughter with Henry stood in front of her. Regina's heart aches to see that he made no move to enter the mansion – when Robin steps forward, toe-to-toe with Whale, "if you," and then he lifts his head to address the others, "or anyone else in this town so much as look at her in the wrong way, you will have me to answer to."

"Us to," Little John's voice booms across the yard from his place at her gate with the rest of the Merry Men. They too look as conflicted as him but their loyalty lies with Robin and it appears that their leader's questionable decision isn't going to change that. Her brow furrows at the realisation that she has someone on her side.

Whale laughs lowly, standing his ground as he intones, "You'll see the truth of what she is soon enough," and when Robin practically growls _And what is that supposed to mean?_ the doctor shrugs with a smirk and replies, "it means that the Queen is incapable of love and soon, she'll use you up just as she has everyone else who has had the misfortune of crossing her path until there is nothing left of you but an empty shell. And when that happens, she'll toss you aside like the rest of us."

Her heart thumps hard in her chest, tears stinging at her eyes as she watches Robin give Whale a warning shove away from the porch before he turns and closes the door behind him.

"Robin, I-"

He cuts her off, moving quickly up the foyer steps until he stands before her, with a fierce kiss that catches her off-guard. It's only a moment, however, before she's reciprocating in kind and they're both panting against one another.

His grip on her face is hard – not bruising – as he pulls back just enough to look into her eyes as he asks, "Is this real?"

She looks at him for a long moment, debating whether or not to push him away simply to save him from this life, before she realises she's not strong enough and replies honestly. "It wasn't supposed to be when it started," because it wasn't, he was just a way of scratching an itch when the thought of the curse breaking was beginning to overwhelm her, "but you pushed your way into my dark heart and I don't know quite how you got there but…" she swallows thickly, lifting her hands to curl her fingers around his wrists, "I'd like you to stay."

His eyes move slowly between her own before he tilts his head forward and rests his forehead against her own, breathing, "Then I will," against her lips before he claims her mouth again in a kiss much more tender than the first.


	14. A Different Tale

_**Set in the Robin First Curse AU**_

It's not often that he and Henry find themselves alone together – it's not as though Regina has gone far, merely to the laundry room to transfer a load into the dryer – so Robin finds himself at a loss of what to say for a long moment though he needn't worry for, as soon as his mother is out of earshot, the boy asks, "Do you love my Mom?"

Robin chokes a little on his coffee, taken aback by the question. He wipes the spilt liquid from his chin before looking to Henry with eyes wide and his mouth agape with no words falling from his lips.

"I mean," Henry continues regardless, "either you love her or you must really, really like her to still be here after what she's done."

"What she's-"

"The curse!" the boy exclaims as loud as he is able to without Regina hearing before barrelling on once more, "She brought everyone here to punish them because she was unhappy, because she wanted revenge on my Grandma for being prettier than he-"

This is where Robin finds his voice. "I'm not sure what your book or your mother has told you about her past with your Grandmother nor am I going to be the one to tell you if she hasn't but what I will say," he tells Henry kindly but firmly, "is that perhaps you should ask her. I'm sure your view may change once you've heard the whole truth."

Henry's brow furrows at this, as though he hadn't thought of such a thing and, Robin supposes, he probably hasn't.

"From what I've seen of your book,' Robin begins – he remembers the boy clinging to it during the curse and Regina had skimmed through it for him a few days ago when curiosity had gotten the best of him – "it tells quite the one-sided story and certainly not one that favours your dear mother. What you have to remember, Henry," he leans forward to brace himself with his forearms on the kitchen island, levelling with the boy, "is that your book was written by a person just like you or I and, like you and I, they would have had their own perspective on things. They can't know everything that happened to us in Fairytale Land, they merely know the key facts."

Henry's head tilts, "So, your saying that maybe not all of the stories are true?"

Robin's head shakes as he smiles kindly at Henry and amends, "Just that, perhaps, they tell only one version of them. There are two sides to every story, Henry. Perhaps it's time you heard your mother's."

"What have I missed?" Regina asks as she breezes back into the kitchen, allowing a hand to skim along the small of Robin's back as she passes him before pressing a kiss to the top of Henry's head – now that he seems more open to her affections having started to spend more time with her – and moving to fix herself a cup of coffee. She smells of vanilla and laundry detergent and something that belongs only to her. It has Robin grinning like an idiot for the simple reason that she is close by once more.

"Nothing important," Robin replies easily, throwing Henry a subtle wink when his mother can't see, pausing to watch the way the boy is looking at his mother as she moves about the kitchen. There's something new in his eyes, something promising that settles something within Robin as he takes another sip from his coffee and lifts an arm for Regina to slip beneath when she moves back over towards him.

Henry doesn't ask that same day but a few days later, when Robin returns home from the forest with Roland's hand held in his own, he finds mother and son napping together on the couch with Henry's book resting on the coffee table next to them and he knows they've probably got far more to talk about but, it's certainly a start.


	15. Sin

_**A lil' tiny bit M**_

There's no guilt in her for what she's doing – he doesn't love her anyway, just as she doesn't love him – and she knows it's something that vindictive little imp had done, tying her to the damn werewolf when he'd formed the curse, but it's not as if she can pull him up about it and so she's way passed caring now. Passed caring but not passed logic. She's the mayor and the town's sheriff is her 'husband', divorce is simply out of the question despite her unhappiness at having him in the house, in her bed, under her feet – he's good with Henry though.

At one point she'd thought they'd be able to make it work. That she'd accept his invitations for meals out together and try and fall in love with him…but then, she'd met Robin and everything had gone to shit.

He gets under her skin in the very best and the very worst ways in equal measure. Despite his flaws though, she's absolutely hooked on him.

She's panting against his neck, fingers twisting his hair as her other hand moves down his back, nails biting into the skin of his rear as she squeezes. A wordless order that he understands instantly and drives his cock even deeper on the next deliciously slow thrust. Their stomachs are slick with sweat, the air around them thick and cloying, filled with an electricity that sometimes bothers her – he's nothing more than a way to scratch an itch and that is how he will stay – but she ignores it in favour of the sensations overwhelming her body.

She's seen the tattoo, had called the whole thing off when she'd first discovered it – and what an awful few days that had been – but they're inevitable, him and her, and, well, if he was indeed her soul mate, then she had every right to take from that didn't she?

It's what she repeats over and over again when they're planning to meet – at his cabin, of course. What would the town say should they spy the mayor sneaking into Granny's B&B practically every other day? – but it's getting harder and harder to leave once they're finished. Harder to remember not to give into the softness of his kisses once they've come down from their high, harder to ignore the desire she has to feel his fingers stroking over her heated back as she lies on her stomach and pretends that she can't feel his eyes on her. Looking at her in a way that he most certainly shouldn't but in a way that she feels echoed in her very soul.

It's getting harder and harder to remember that the safety of her curse rests on her restrain.


	16. Protection

_**Robin First Curse AU**_

He feels slightly ashamed at his actions having almost gotten into something of a brawl with David over Snow's actions – it's not David's fault, he is not his wife's keeper and he was merely defending her as Robin had been Regina but still, his utter denial of Snow White's appalling decision had been frustrating to say the very least and things had gotten a little out of hand before Emma and Little John had stepped in – and he's already concocting his apology when he finally hears the gentle thud of the front door closing.

He'd left her to tend to her mother's body alone, as per her request, but he can see how much it has taken out of her when he rounds the corner to find her standing with her head resting against the wood of the door and her eyes closed.

Her makeup is smudged, tear tracks on her cheeks all the more prominent with their dark stains and his heart breaks all over again for her.

"For one shining moment…" Regina breathes – he hasn't made a sound since her arrival but of course she knows he's close by, he always is – "she was the mother I'd always yearned for and then," her voice grows tight as her chin quivers and her head shakes against the door, "she was gone."

He's down the stairs and pulling her into his arms before her legs are able to buckle beneath her.

Regina's sobs are heart wrenching as her fingers grip tight at the material of his shirt, her face pressed into the crook of his neck as he strokes her hair with one hand and holds her to him with the other.

"I won't let you go, my darling," he promises on a pained whisper, unsure if she can even hear him over her cries though he repeats it nonetheless. "You are not alone."


	17. Contentment

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Snow asks, still frowning at the pile of clothes in the middle of Regina's bed, "because if you're not ready-"

"Would I have asked you to help me if I weren't ready?" Regina gives back with a heavy sigh – the truth is, she _doesn't_ want to do this, of course she doesn't – "besides," she shrugs in a poor attempt at nonchalance with the way her fingers are gripping at her biceps as she folds her arms tighter across her chest, "he wouldn't want me dwelling on such material things when the memory of him is enough."

"Did Zelena ever find that feather?"

Her throat tightens at the mention of it as her jaw clenches and she manages a tight, "No." It shouldn't bother her so much but it does. The sheer disregard with which her sister had handled something so preciously given – and by Roland no less, his dimpled face never to be looked up again save for when she finally caves and uses her mirror to check in on him because how could she not? – irks her.

"I'm sure she will," Snow replies with forced positivity as she pushes off from the doorframe and moves into Regina's room and closer to the bed. "Let's get this started, shall we?"

It's harder than she'd first thought it would be, sorting through clothes that still smell of him with memories of the day they'd bought them together playing through her mind. It had been an oddly quiet day when she'd suggested a little shopping trip – she'd felt guilty that he'd had to wear practically the same things over and over again (Roland too) when hers and Henry's wardrobes were so filled with clothes – the boys had been with the Charmings and the baby with Zelena – something they'd still been adjusting to – and so it had just been the two of them.

She'd almost pulled away when he'd moved to take her hand as they'd walked down Main Street having never shown affection so openly before but, after a moment, he'd eased her into it and after a little while, the thought of letting go had seemed awful.

They'd returned home that evening with bagful after bagful of clothes for the two newest men in the house. He'd barely even gotten to wear any of them but the ones he had…the scent still lingering within the fabric brought tears to her eyes.

Still, she pushes on.

It's only when she catches a glimpse of burgundy from the corner of her eye that she looks up and utters a soft "Wait…" that has Snow pausing, the scarf still held between her fingers. Regina reaches forward and takes it from the younger woman, rubbing her thumb over the soft material for a moment before she decides, "I want to keep this," and turns to drape it over the chair at her dressing table.

Snow says nothing but her smile is achingly sympathetic as she nods and moves to continue. She's stopped, however, by the sight of something Regina had missed when she'd transferred Robin's things from the drawers onto the bed.

"Is that-"

"It's a box…" Snow breathes.

"I can see that," Regina replies, trying for sarcastic but feeling utterly lightheaded at the sight of the domed red velvet box sitting so innocently on her bed.

"Do you want me to…" Snow asks without finishing her sentence. She waits until Regina nods – dark eyes unable to move from the box – before she takes it delicately between her fingers and holds it out to her former step-mother.

Regina's fingers are trembling, her whole body vibrating, as her heart beats wildly in her chest. She's being silly. Presumptuous. They hadn't even been seeing one another all that long with their forced separations taken into account, of course it wouldn't be-

Snow's gasp is loud but not as loud as the heartbeat in her ears.

It's-

"A ring…" Snow utters wetly – of course she'd cry – as Regina stares dumbly at the simple diamond ring.

He was going to propose. The idiot – her wonderful, handsome, devastatingly romantic soulmate – was going to propose to her.

In an instant the future they could have had flashed before her eyes; planning the wedding together, fitting the boys for their suits, Snow taking over the planning and driving them both crazy, their honeymoon spent beneath the stars and worshipping one another's bodies, a house filled with the laughter of children and with nothing but love. It brings tears to her eyes when she's finally able to react but they're not tears of sadness, just of contentment.

What they'd had was real, _is_ real and so, without another word, she takes the ring from the box and turns to her dressing table to look through her jewellery box until she is able to find a delicate gold chain. She threads the ring onto the chain and turns to walk slowly back towards Snow before asking, "Would you mind?"

As expected, the younger woman is crying silently but with a smile so wide it's verging on ridiculous as she nods and takes the chain from Regina's fingers, waiting for her to turn around.

Still, Regina merely smiles softly back at her and turns before lifting her hair from her neck and waiting until the chain is fastened securely.

Her fingers lift to the sparkling diamond that's hidden just beneath the collar of her dress as she whispers a soft and gentle, "I love you, my Thief."


	18. Blessed

"Do you not want this child?" she blurts out one morning after Robin has carefully extricated himself from the bed – so as not to wake her no doubt but too late – and is halfway to the door.

He turns with absolute incredulity on his face and asks, "How could you even think that?"

And it's not quite what she'd wanted to say to him because of course he wants this child, she knows he does. He'd been so excited the day she'd told him that he'd practically bounced off of every surface in the house…but that excitement had only lasted until the next day before they'd fallen into this rather odd space that they're in now.

"Regina," he prompts, taking a step closer to the bed but still not close enough for her to reach him and that's just it. He's always out of reach this days.

"You've barely touched me since I told you I was pregnant," she tells him – she feels a little foolish doing so but enough is enough – "you don't hold me at night anymore and I can't remember the last time I woke up with you beside me. I feel as though you are pulling away from me and the only thing I can think of is this baby and it doesn't make sense because I know you can't wait to be a father again but then, if it's not the baby…" her chin quivers – she'll blame her hormones in an hour or so when she's more level-headed – as she allows herself to fully give in to the despair of her thoughts, "is it me? Do you not love me anymore?"

"Sweetheart," he does move towards the bed then, falling to his knees beside her – _still_ not touching her despite his closeness – "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life, save our children. I couldn't ever stop loving you, even if I wanted to!"

"But loving me and being _in love_ with me are two different things, Robin." Hot tears fall from her eyes and begin streaming down her cheeks and this isn't the way she'd wanted this conversation to go but it's happened anyway and the easiest thing now is just to go with it so she continues, "Maybe, on some level, you've finally realised what you've let yourself in for. Maybe my past hasn't been so hard to forgive."

"Oh, my darling," he shakes his head, desperation in his blue eyes as he finally takes her hand – it's not enough contact, not by far but still, it's a start – "I had no idea you were feeling this way, thinking these things." His thumb rubs over the back of her hand as he lifts the other to wipe at her tears before he cups her cheek, "I am more in love with you than I have ever been. You are carrying our child, our miracle baby right there in your belly and I don't think you have ever been more beautiful to me than you are right now. Of course I still love you. Of course I'm still _in love_ with you!"

"Then why have you pulled away from me?"

"Because I am terrified of doing something that will ruin this, that will take our baby from us, that will harm you." It's Robin with tears streaking his face now as he sits back on his heels, the truth of his feelings finally surfacing. "I almost lost Marian when she was pregnant with Roland and I've lost you more times than I can bear to count. If I were to lose you now, I wouldn't survive it."

She frowns down at him for a long moment, watching as he loses the battle against his tears and his shoulders bounce with his silent sobs before she takes her hand from his and slowly climbs down from the bed. She waves off his hands when he moves to stop her and grabs his shoulders to keep him from moving back and away from her when their bent knees touch on the ground. "You could never do anything to hurt either one of us," she breathes softly, allowing her hands to slide gently up over his neck to cup his jaw and ensure he's looking at her. "I cannot go through this pregnancy without you by my side and had I known you were feeling this way, I would have told you sooner." She shakes her head, eyes as wet as his own as she tells him, "I need you, Robin. We _both_ need you and, more importantly, I trust you so please don't make me go through this alone."

"But what if-"

She cuts him off with her lips on his own, tasting the salt and desperation in him as she lets it lingers for a few long seconds before she pulls back and reminds him, "It was you who taught me that we can't dwell on the 'what ifs' in life because otherwise, we would never have gotten to this point. Focus on the here and now with me, live in this happiness with me because for once, I feel as though life isn't going to kick me in the teeth." She allows her head to fall slowly forward in order to rest her forehead against his own as she tells him, "This isn't our happy ending, Robin…not by a long shot because it's our happy beginning." And then, when his breathing finally begins to calm and she can feel him nodding gently against her, she asks, "Now will you get back in this bed and hold me and our daughter?"

His gasp is audible and pulls a smile to her lips because they haven't been to the doctor to confirm yet but she knows it's the truth and as he asks, "Our daughter?" she nods and lets loose a breathy laugh of confirmation before she lets her hands drop to find his and begins guiding him up and off of the floor with her.

"Promise me you'll put this silliness behind you and trust that we are going to be okay, _all_ of us."

He nods, stealing a soft and heartbreakingly tender kiss from her lips before he replies, "I promise," before allowing her to lead them both back into bed and holding her close to him for the first time in weeks.

It truly is a blessed feeling.


	19. Together

**_A Robin First Curse AU – set before Cora's death a chapter or two ago_**

Snow jumps at the heavy thud of something banging against their front door, her heart in her throat as she makes her way across the loft and pulls it open. David steps in first, looking pale as he moves straight over to the kitchen counter to grab the phone. It's only when he moves that she sees Robin and Regina, the latter limp and unresponsive in his arms. Snow's blood runs cold at the pallor of Regina's face. It explains the lost connection between them.

"Is she-?"

"No," he breathes, moving past her and carrying the Queen over to the sofa without another word. He lays her down like the most precious of cargo and Snow can't help but wonder about the tear tracks still glistening on his cheeks – she'd always suspected there to be something between the two, even before the curse had broken but looking at him now as Robin arranges her gently and kneels down beside her, stroking back dark hair from her face, she's quite sure of it. David begins speaking to someone on the phone behind them and Robin tells her, "we think the Blue Fairy may be able to help."

It's a rather risky choice, given Blue's thoughts on Regina and Robin's set jaw confirms that he believes the same but she can hear the desperation in David's tone as he pleads with her to come over and she can see it in Robin's eyes before he looks back to the unconscious Queen. It's only a few moments more before Blue appears in their loft.

"What happened?" the fairy asks without greeting, her expression hard and unforgiving as she moves over to the unconscious Queen.

"He used a machine," Robin answers, still kneeling beside Regina, holding her hand in his own and making no room for the woman beside him, "he was hurting her with it."

"Using electricity to shock her," David supplies when Blue looks confusedly down at Robin. "He had her hooked up to the machine and was pulsing electricity through her. I managed to break the machine but Greg got away."

Snow gasps silently, lifting a hand to her mouth. "If he's still out there-"

"Emma and Neal are dealing with it," David comforts, taking a step closer to place a comforting arm around Snow as they both watch the fairy look Regina over, "they'll find him."

"He suppressed her magic," Blue surmises after a long moment, taking a step closer and reaching for Regina's limp arm.

"Don't touch her!"

All three jump in surprise at the ferocity in Robin's tone as he moves to stand between Blue and the Queen, his expression hard.

"I need to remove the cuff on her arm," she explains calmly but firmly, standing her ground before the Outlaw, "it's what is keeping her magic from healing her. If the cuff remains on her wrist, she may not survive the damage done."

"Robin," Snow steps forward, "please, let her-"

"Do you need to touch her to take it off?" he asks, ignoring Snow completely and staring the fairy down.

"Well, no but-"

"So, as I said," he continues, nodding darkly at her, "don't touch her."

* * *

She looks so small in the Charmings' bed, her arms folded gently across her stomach. Still, it's only the steady rise and fall of her chest that reminds him that she is simply sleeping, resting, rather than the alternative.

He takes a hand in his own, unable to sit without touching her for a moment longer and gently plays with her lax fingers, glad to feel the warmth of skin previously chilled. "I'm sorry, Regina." It's an admission that's been on the tip of his tongue for the last three weeks, ever since he'd allowed himself to believe her mother's lies. He'd taken the bait, had cut his ties to Regina and had left her to that woman's clutches and then, when the truth had come out, the damage had already been done.

"It's been killing me to know that I allowed this to happen. That I didn't believe you and, _worse,_ that I turned my back on you when you needed me most. I hate myself for it and I know it's too late now, that what's done is done but I need you to know…I still love you."

"I think of you every single day and seeing you on that table, strapped to the cold metal so defenceless and alone…it damn well broke my heart and I know there is nothing I can do to make it better but, even if you can never forgive me, I promise to always be there to protect you, no matter what."

A gentle cough pulls his attention from Regina, though he keeps her hand encased in both of his, as he turns to find Snow standing beside the thin partition keeping the Queen from sight of the main apartment. "I just wanted to know if you'd like some tea?" she smiles kindly at him, eyes dropping to his hands before lifting to his once more without question – though he knows the desire to ask is burning inside of her – "I'm making a pot."

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm okay, thank you." And then, because he'd heard some of what David and Snow had been discussing about their daughter, he asks, "Is Neal-"

"He's gone," Snow replies solemnly with a nod, "he died to save Emma, to protect her from those monsters."

"So, they're still at large?" Nerves and rage bubble together in his stomach at her nod as his jaw clenches. He wants to kill them. To inflict as much harm as possible on them just as they have on this town. "We'll find them," he vows almost to himself before Snow silently takes her leave and he's left with Regina once more.

He's deep in thought – fantasising about the different ways in which he can torture Greg and Tamara when he catches them – when her hand jerks in his and she takes a sharp and waking breath.

"N-" she breathes when he keeps a tight hold on her hand, trying to ground her in their current reality but he realises what she must think and so, reluctantly, he lets go and instead moves to kneel beside the bed.

"You're safe now, my love," he whispers, the endearment an automatic thing that slips from his lips as he ducks his head to catch her line of sight.

"Robin…" she breathes, her voice hoarse from screaming. "I- wh-what happened? They were-"

"Shh…" he soothes, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder and keeping her from sitting up as he explains, "we stopped them. You're okay."

"But-" she lifts an arm – her cuffed arm, he realises – and frowns at the bare skin there.

"The Blue Fairy removed the restraint, she said that you need time and rest before your magic fully returns but the very fact that you're awake now tells me that it's working already." When she moves to sit once more, he moves his hand to her cheek, cupping the soft skin with his palm and rubbing his thumb over her temple, "You need to rest, sweetheart."

She relents after a moment more – stubbornly and through tiredness over anything else he suspects – and allows reality to return as her dark eyes move over his face and she asks, "What are you doing here?"

"You'd disappeared," he replies honestly, "no one knew where you were, where else would I be but looking for you?"

"Making sure I wasn't up to no good," Regina replies almost venomously but he can see the vulnerability in her eyes, the heartache that still remains just as it does in his own.

"I'd never be able to leave your side if that were the case," he teases gently and takes the small curve of her lips as a small victory before he sobers once more and tells her, "but no. Despite my previous behaviour to say otherwise, I trust you, Regina. I knew that something was wrong, I had to find you and make sure that you were okay…but when I found you…" he trails off on a poorly suppressed sob as tears glisten in his eyes with the memory of her strapped to the table playing in his mind.

"The important thing is that you _did_ find me…" she supplies quietly before her eyes drop to the hand she scooped from beside her thigh and onto her lap to hold just as he had been doing with hers, "thank you."

It's not long after that that he finds himself being guided towards her as she turns on her side and waits for him to fill the space behind her. He finally lets his tears fall when he's able to wrap his arms around her waist and carefully pull her back against him, allowing himself to drift into dreamless sleep with her.

It's an hour or so later that they're woken by Snow and David and they discover that Greg and Tamara's plan is far from over but as they both rise from the bed – Regina a little unsteady on her feet for a few moments – and he feels her hand slip into his, fingers lacing, Robin realises that together they will win this fight.


	20. She's Always a Woman

His attention was pulled from the book he was reading with her soft sigh, eyes falling from the words on the pages to her beautiful face and the frown creasing her forehead. Her lips were pulled into a sleepy pout that would be impossible for him to resist in her waking hours but as it was, she slept fitfully most nights now and he'd vowed to himself that he would do all that he could to help ease her discomfort. Kissing her awake would not help settle the little soccer player that resided in her stomach.

He slipped his bookmark in place - a Cat in the Hat themed slip of card that Roland had proudly presented him with whilst both Henry and Regina had hid their sniggers behind well-placed hands knowing how he despised the character. The joke was on them, however, for it brought a smile to his face now every time he looked at it - before closing the book and placing it on his bedside table, flicking off the lamp and turning back to his love.

Regina slept with the covers off most nights, her skin far too hot and in no need of extra warmth. He'd worry that she'd soon grow cold as the night wore on but she only seemed to fuss more when he would drape the thin sheet over her. Now though, he found himself rather glad for her sleeping preference as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before slipping gently down the bed so that his feet were dangling off the edge and his head was in line with her swollen belly.

"You should be asleep, little one," he whispered softly, carefully placing a hand over her stretched skin and smiling at the feel of their baby's kicks. It had been a surprise to say the least when Regina had returned from the hospital with the news having gone on about the strange nausea she'd thought nothing of - an absolutely wonderful surprise.

The first two trimesters had been a dream - discounting the morning sickness that plagued his love throughout the day despite its name - but he could see her discomfort now, rubbed her swollen ankles and helped her put on the chain with her wedding and engagement ring placed temporarily upon it with her poor, swollen fingers. She never complained once though, his darling Regina, for she was still in absolute awe of the life growing within her where she thought none ever could.

"Your mother needs her rest so that you both may be healthy and strong," he continued, rubbing his thumb over her belly and feeling the way the baby settled somewhat but not enough. He cast his mind back to Marian's pregnancy, remembering how singing used to calm Roland - it still did, many a soft lullaby worked to have his boy's eyelids growing heavy - and smiled as he shook his head and whispered, "let's see if you're like your brother, shall we?"

He racked his brain for a moment, letting his eyes wander absentmindedly before they fell upon Regina's beautiful face and instantly, a song that he'd found he quite enjoyed from this world played in his mind, the words flowing softly and naturally from his lips as he begun to sing.

 _"She can kill with a smile  
She can wound with her eyes  
She can ruin your faith with her casual lies  
And she only reveals what she wants you to see  
She hides like a child  
But she's always a woman to me_

 _She can lead you to love  
She can take you or leave you  
She can ask for the truth  
But she'll never believe  
And she'll take what you give her as long as it's free  
Yeah, she steals like a thief  
But she's always a woman to me"_

He smiled at the irony of the last phrase, pausing for a moment to ensure she was still sleeping - the frown had smoothed out somewhat, her lips softening - before he continued on.

 _"Oh, she takes care of herself  
She can wait if she wants  
She's ahead of her time  
Oh, and she never gives out  
And she never gives in  
She just changes her mind_

 _She will promise you more  
Than the Garden of Eden  
Then she'll carelessly cut you  
And laugh while you're bleedin'  
But she'll bring out the best  
And the worst you can be  
Blame it all on yourself  
Cause she's always a woman to me_

 _Oh, she takes care of herself  
She can wait if she wants  
She's ahead of her time  
Oh, and she never gives out  
And she never gives in  
She just changes her mind_

 _She is frequently kind  
And she's suddenly cruel  
She can do as she pleases  
She's nobody's fool  
But she can't be convicted  
She's earned her degree  
And the most she will do  
Is throw shadows at you  
But she's always a woman to me."_

He repeated the last line slowly and gently, grinning triumphantly when he felt no movement beneath his palm before he dipped his head enough to leave a kiss, whispering, "Good night, sweetheart," before lifting himself and shifting back up as carefully as he could to lie beside Regina once more, chuckling softly when she instantly moved closer to him.

"You have a wonderful singing voice," she whispered drowsily as she moved a hand to stroke through the hair at the nape of his neck, sleepily blinking open those beautiful, dark eyes.

His lips had parted softly in his surprise as he apologised, "I didn't mean to wake you, I'm so-"

"You didn't," she smiled sleepily, "or if you did, I'm glad for it. That was wonderful."

He smiled sheepishly, moving a hand to rest on her hip. "Thank you," and then, "I've heard it a few times on the radio at work and it always reminds me of you."

A beautiful blush coloured her cheeks, a soft laugh breathed through her nose as she shook her head and whispered, "You sap."

He shifted a little closer to her, sliding that hand on her hip to the small of her back and rubbing gently to soothe the ache he knew had become something of a permanent thing, enjoying the way her eyes fell closed and a soft moan fell from her lips. "For you? Always." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead once more, "do you think you'll be able to sleep a little better now?"

She nodded, placing a palm on his cheek to keep him in place as she tilted her face up and pressed her lips to his. "Thanks to you and your beautiful voice."

"It's not beautiful, my love."

She rolled her eyes at his modesty, pressing one last kiss to his lips before she asked, "Will you sing me to sleep?"

His smile was wide and brilliant as his eyes moved between her own, as though waiting for her to laugh at him - she didn't, she never would - before he nodded and replied, "Every night if you so wish."

Regina grinned beautifully before shifting to lay her head atop his chest. It wasn't a position that would allow her to fall asleep easily and she'd no doubt shift when she truly did get pulled back under but for now he simply threaded his fingers through her hair and began singing to her once more, to both of his girls.


	21. We Are a Family - Part 1

**TW: brief mention of abuse**

He waits for a few minutes after she's gotten herself up and taken herself into the bathroom, he waits until the spray of the shower begins hitting the tiles before he makes his way in after her and, just as he'd suspected, finds her with her arms folded against the cold tiles and her forehead pressed against them as she cries.

It's not often that she does so. In fact, he can probably count on one hand the number of times he's seen her cry whilst they've been together and it's not because she doesn't feel things – she does, God how she does – but instead because she's been raised to believe that she _shouldn't_ feel such things.

 _"_ _Crying admits weakness, my mother used to say."_ And when she'd confessed that to him, his dislike for Cora Mills had only increased for he knew such lessons would have been given alongside needless and cruel lashings that had left faint scars on Regina's soft skin. A past such as that would have been enough to close any kind soul off but not Regina. She had the biggest heart he knew and how glad he was for it every single day.

She startles when he opens the glass door to the shower, turns to him with wide, red-rimmed eyes and watches as he steps inside still clad in his boxers. "Wh-what are you doing?"

His brow furrows at the pain in her voice and he can't help but gather her into his arms and hold her against him, rocking them gently where they stand. She goes willingly despite her confusion. "It's okay to cry, my love," he whispers over the stream of water, one arm tight around her waist whilst the other lifts to hold her head to him with a gentle hand in her hair.

Her shuddered breath washes over his neck with the way her face is pressed to the crook and her fingers grip at his waist as she shakes her head. "He's been so alone," she breathes, fingers gripping tighter, "so lost and alone, it just…kills me."

"But you're changing that," he replies on a tender smile, pride lighting his chest, "you've given him a home and, in time, a family to love. You're giving him what you never had and he may be a little apprehensive now, sweetheart, but you must remember how long it took you to fully open your heart to another."

She nods against his neck, no doubt recalling the patient persistence with which Robin had injected himself into her life, into her heart.

"Henry has a home with us now and he will never again experience the pain of loneliness. You've made sure of that."

She shifts her face away from him slowly, eyes still wet though there's a soft smile curling her lips before she lifts herself onto her toes enough to press a lingering kiss to his lips and amending his assurance, " _We've_ made sure of that."

And all he can do is smile down at his wonderfully broken, incredibly strong wife and nod.

It was going to be a long road, allowing Henry to adapt to this new life having lived all of his moving between foster homes, but it was a road they were going to take together.


	22. We Are a Family - Part 2

She lifts herself onto an elbow at the sound of a gentle knock on her bedroom door and utters a sleepy, "Come in." She's not quite awake enough to understand what is happening until the door opens slowly and she's able to see Henry's silhouette backlit by the hallway light. She coughs gently to clear her throat, "What is it, sweetheart?" It's not until she hears a quiet sniffle that she truly becomes alert.

She shifts to sit up, reaching over for the bedside lamp and flicking it on - ignoring Robin's sleepy groan for he'd only gotten home an hour or so ago from a night shift - and frowning at Henry's blotchy face as his bottom lip quivers.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

He shakes his head before taking a tentative step forward into the room. He takes more when she smiles softly, encouragingly at him, until he's stood at her bedside with hands held in her own.

She gives him a moment to compose himself as he inhales deep and steadying breaths, swallowing thickly to no avail as more tears fall from his eyes. "Honey," she shifts up and onto her knees so that she can take his face between her palms and wipe his tears with his thumbs, "please, tell me what's wrong."

"Forty-two days…" he breathes shakily with eyes moving between her own before he looks to the clock on her bedside table - it's just past midnight - "I've been here for forty-two days."

And it takes her a moment to realise what he means but when she does, her heart breaks in her chest as she utters a sorrowful, "Oh, sweetheart."

His tears fall faster as his eyes close and his head tips forward though he remains in her hold. "This is the longest I've ever been with anyone."

Her heart breaks all the more to know he's been counting the days, no doubt wondering at which point she was going to take him back - not that she ever would - despite her assurances that this was his forever home.

"You really do want to keep me?"

"Oh, Henry," she sobs - Robin shifts behind her, laying a supportive hand on her back but remaining silent and allowing her to speak - "I want to keep you forever, if you'll let me." When he nods, she moves to slip beneath the covers once more, lifting to them in an invitation that Henry eagerly takes before she pulls him against her chest and holds him as he cries. "I love you, Henry."

It takes him a moment, as he clings to her pyjama top and fights for breath, before he replies with a sobbed, "I love you too, Mom," that completely overwhelms her as Robin fits himself against her back and holds them both. Their broken little family finally starting to heal.


	23. Little One - Part 1

"Would you like anything to drink, sweetheart?" Rose asks, smiling as she looks at Regina, "a tea, some juice, water?"

"I'm good thanks, Mrs Locksley."

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Rose, sweet girl?"

Regina laughs softly but it doesn't reach her eyes, much to Robin's concern as he tells his mother that they're okay for the minute and waits for her to leave before he reaches for Regina's hand and asks, "Is everything okay? You don't seem yourself." And she doesn't. He can't count the amount of times she's taken herself downstairs to grab a drink and he's had to go looking for her only to find her sitting with his mum, chatting away like old friends despite the age gap.

"I, uh…" she swallows thickly, her eyes dropping to their joined hands on her lap. She's pale, her hands cold and clammy, nothing at all like she usually is with him and it's starting to scare him.

"You're safe here, Regina," he squeezes her fingers gently, prompting her to look at him once more, to see the sincerity in his eyes, "you know that, right?"

She nods instantly because of course she does. But still, there's something in her eyes, something unsettling that he can't quite work out until she swallows once more and whispers, "I'm pregnant, Robin…" and his entire world stops dead.


	24. Little One - Part 2

"You can't just keep saying that!" she replies frustratedly, pacing at the foot of his bed and this is more like the Regina he knows. The sight of her, pouting so adorably has him smiling despite the situation they're in. "What the hell are you smiling at!?"

"Come here," he chuckles despite himself, shifting so that his legs curl over the edge of the bed, glad when she takes his hand and he can pull her to stand between his legs. His hands move to her hips, eyes on her stomach as he shakes his head and says, "How can I not smile when you tell me you're having my baby?"

"Oh, I don't know," she laughs humourlessly, hands falling just above his on her hips, "because this shouldn't be happening, because we're too young, because my mother is going to absolutely kill me."

"Because you're growing a little version of us inside of you, because we'll get through this together and at the end of all of this…" he leans forward to press a kiss to her stomach before lifting his head to look up at her, "we'll be okay and, most importantly, so will she."

She blinks at that, no doubt a million more reasons why she's so scared by all of this - they are really young and her mother will not be happy about this - but instead, she settles on a quiet uttering of, "She?"

He nods, his grin growing, "She'll have your dark hair and complexion," his thumbs stroke over her skin over her top, "my eyes and dimples…"

"Hopefully," she laughs despite the worry still in her eyes.

"And your temperament," he adds before he sobers for a moment. "It's a big thing, Regina. I won't deny that but I realised a long time ago that you are it for me. My mum and dad met when they were in high school and no, it wasn't always easy for them but they loved one another as I do you and, I don't know," he shrugs, "I think we can make it, all three of us, together."

She swallows thickly, allowing her hands to fall down to cover his as she releases a shuddered breath and repeats, "Together."


	25. Little One - Part 3

**TW: Mentions of abuse and blood**

"I don't mean to pry, my love," Rose begins gently as she dips the cloth back into the bowl of warm water, wringing it clean of blood before moving to press it gently to Regina's lip once more, "but is this your mother's work?"

She's seen it before – the bruises makeup can't quite cover, the fading red marks from Cora's hideous rage – and has offered her help too many times to count but Regina won't have it. She won't drag the Locksley's into her shit show of a family. Rose had insisted though, when they'd arrived here, Regina's eyes still puffy and sore and her lip stained a deep crimson, that she at least allow herself to be cleaned up and she'd agreed knowing that answers would need to be given.

"I made a promise that I would never force you into anything you're uncomfortable with and I will offer all the support I can if you wish to take this further but I need to know, dear."

Regina looks at her for a long moment, taking strength from the warmth of Robin's body behind her as he stands with his hands on her shoulders – a comforting touch as opposed to her mother's cruel and controlling grasp – before she exhales a deep and shuddered breath and nods. They'd agreed in the car ride over here that his mother needed to know the truth of things and so, when Rose asks why Cora has hurt her again, she takes a quick glance up at Robin – it seems the bleeding has stopped for the most part now with the way Robin's mother has dipped the cloth back into the bowl and left it there – waits for his nod and looks back to Rose. "I'm pregnant."

Her eyes widen slightly as her lips part in a subtle 'o' that has nerves kicking up in Regina's stomach. She lifts a hand to cover one of Robin's on her shoulder but keeps her eyes locked on his mother.

"It's not something that was planned and I know we're stupid to think that we can even begin to do this, to be parents but…" she swallows thickly against the lump rising in her throat because they know now for sure, after weeks of going over every pro and every con, they know, "we want to keep it."

Rose's eyes lift from Regina's to her son's, her expression unreadable for a long moment before, miraculously, her lips begin to curve gently. "Oh, my darlings," she lifts her hands to cover her mouth, shaking her head as tears begin gathering in her eyes. "You're right to say that you're both very foolish for putting yourselves in this position at such a young age but…" her head continues to shake a little more vigorously, "a baby…"

"You're not…mad?" Robin asks, the shock in his voice just as apparent as that on Regina's face as she continues to watch Rose, blinking when the woman steps closer to them and moves to crouch before Regina.

"How could I be mad at such news?" she asks as though it's a ridiculous thing to suggest despite the glaring reminder on Regina's lip of what her own mother thought of it all, "I mean, I wish that you had waited until you were older and had finished school, gotten yourselves good jobs and settled down somewhere but that doesn't matter." She takes Regina's hands in her own, lifting one hand to stroke back dark hair from watery eyes as she continued, "You will come to no harm under my roof, sweetheart. And I will do everything I can to ensure that you both have all of the help and the support that you need during this time."

"She can't go back to that house."

"I was suggesting no such thing," Rose cut her son off rather sternly but still with that warm gentleness that Regina had come to love, "she'll stay here with us," she looked from Robin down to Regina, stroking her thumb over the back of her hand comfortingly, "if that is what you would like?"

And it took her a moment – simply to take all of it in – before Regina was nodding hesitantly, "If you'll have me."

"Then it's settled," Rose grinned, springing back onto her feet far easier than one her age should and practically bouncing around the kitchen as she gushed, "a baby, how wonderful!"


	26. Little One - Part 4

It's a hard elbow to the ribs that has Robin blinking into consciousness with a groan and he barely has chance to ask what the hell is happening before he hears her hissing his name and finds himself fully alert as he jolts upright and asks, "What is it? What's wrong? Is everything-"

"Give me your hand," she interrupts and he turns to find her leaning back against the pillows, barely visible in the darkness of the room but he can just about make out her features and realises that she's smiling at him.

He frowns, drowsy and confused, but lifts a hand anyway. It takes him a moment, after she's looped her fingers around his wrist and guided his hand down onto her stomach, to realise just what is happening but when he does, his heart practically stops in his chest. "Is that-"

"She's kicking," Regina breathes a laugh and he can tell just by her tone that there are tears in her eyes, matched by the tears in his own as he curls his palm over the swell of her belly further and waits another second more before it happens again. A tiny kick against his hand that fills his chest with a warmth he never knew he could feel for anyone other than the person next to him. "Our daughter is kicking."

It's been real to them since Regina had left home and moved in with him and his parents but now it's even more so and, stupidly, the only thing he can say is, "There's a little person in there."

Regina laughs before she rests her hand over the one he has still on her stomach and replies, "That's our little girl."


	27. Desire

**Very M**

It's dangerous, the kids not being here for a whole weekend. They're left to their own devices, their own desires and it's not as though they're teenagers grabbing every scant opportunity that they have nor are they a new couple still discovering each other's bodies, not in the slightest. It's just that they're both very sexual, lustful beings.

They have their moments. Their tender intimacies and nights where the want to savour one another will trump a frenzied fuck in the shower but, more often than not, she likes it hard, rough even and well, who is he to deny her such things?

She's bent over the sink, the cold ceramic touching her hard nipples and pulling these delicious little mewls from her as he begins his slow thrusts. She's soaked already, his cock glistening with her on every outward thrust.

The sun is still shining brightly on the yard outside, lighting everything beautifully and he should feel a little on display with how open it all is – if her neighbour happens to look through his window on his next bathroom break, he's sure to see quite the show – but instead he finds himself casting his eyes over the various surfaces, already fantasising about taking her against each one despite already being balls deep in her. God, he's obsessed with her.

And how could he not be?

Her head is turned to the side, hands gripping at the side of the basin as she looks back at him as best she can, those whimpers growing louder as his hips snap against hers a little harder and his fingers grip tighter at her hips. Her right leg begins to lift and he's not sure whether it's a conscious decision or not – the way her mouth falls open and eyes flutter shut at the change has him releasing a low moan from deep in his chest – but he slips a hand from her hip to grab at her thigh, hoisting it higher and holding it for her, increasing his pace and trying not to lose it at the sound of them filling the kitchen.

"You're incredible," she breathes right before a heady, "oh!" falls from her lips and she's unable to say anything more.

"Fuck," he gasps out as he moves his hips faster, letting go of her thigh and grabbing at one of her tits, kneading the soft mound and rolling her nipple between his index and middle finger, "fuck, Regina."

"I'm so close," she gasps, pushing back against him as she begins to tighten around his cock, "don't stop, don't stop."

He catches the hand that slips between her and the counter to rub at her clit before his eyes fall shut and he fucks into her harder, faster, his balls tightening with every loud smack of their bodies.

"I'm gonna…" she breathes, "fuck, Robin. I'm gonna-" and then she can only scream, her body writhing, convulsing against his own.

She's pulsing around him, screaming and pulsing and writhing and it only takes a few more thrusts of his hips before he's following her over that blissful peak with a loud grunt of his own.


	28. A Promise

"That's my spot."

Regina turns only her head to find the Queen smiling softly at her, words a sleepy tease from lips bare and it's jarring seeing her like this, face free of makeup and hair a tousled mess from sleep. It's harder to distance herself from her regal copy without the tight corsets and harshly rimmed eyes and as her eyes fall to the generous curve of her pregnant belly - bare toes exposed to the air with the way her nightgown drapes over it - she wishes she'd never thought to return here. "I'm sorry, I'll-"

"Stay," the Queen steps closer, eyes moving over the scarcely lit landscape before them as her fingers curl over the balcony rail. "This always was our favourite place, wasn't it?"

"Until the backyard," she reminds needlessly.

"And rightly so."

She smiles, it's only a small thing, unable to help herself at the thought of Henry, so small and sleepy in her arms. He'd been a boy of only two when she'd first took him out into the yard and stood beneath the stars with him. His head had been a heavy weight on her shoulder, his eyelids drooping but he'd gasped at the sight of them, at their beauty.

She'd spent the next few months learning that world's meanings of the stars, of the myths that surrounded them and, when he'd grown a little older, she'd fetched them a blanket to lay upon, her thick feather down quilt and pillows for their heads and they'd lay beneath the twinkling lights as she'd told him each and every story.

They'd fallen asleep outside that night and though it wasn't as often as she'd like, every now and again they'd carry on the tradition.

"I miss him."

Regina turns her gaze from the stars having lifted her head subconsciously to catch the sadness colouring the Queen's expression as she continues look upwards. "I know." And then, finding the strength within her, she assures the other woman, "I'll bring him with me, next time."

Dark eyes, so very hopeful, are wide when they meet Regina's. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"You think that I, of all people, would do that to you?"

"I believe you to have good intentions but you're not comfortable here, Regina," the Queen shakes her head, "I see the way you look at me, the way you've avoided being alone with me since your arrival here. It was only for the late hour that you decided to stay for the night and though I appreciate your want to ensure that we are okay here, I don't wish you discomfort or pain with my presence."

Regina's eyes drop from her face to the rounded swell of her belly - five months or so gone - and she wishes she hadn't waited so long to return to check on the Queen and her Robin. Maybe it wouldn't have been so hard if she weren't so heavily pregnant but it is. "It hurts," she confesses softly, "terribly so, I won't lie to you but I also know the pain of losing Henry and believing that you will never see him again and I won't do that to you."

"You will find your happiness, as I have mine."

"I know," Regina replies quietly, "I can feel it now, I can see it." Her eyes lift and find such a kindness in the Queen's that it softens her heart and loosens her lips as she continues, "I may not be destined to carry a child nor may I find another love but I know I'll find the right kind of happiness. I just have to be patient."

"But in the meantime, you'll visit?"

Regina chuckled softly as she nods and lifts a hand to rest her palm upon the Queen's bump with a thick swallow, feeling the growing life within. "We'll visit."


	29. Once More With Feeling

"Mind if I join you?" he asks, already stepping through the open door and it's not as though she can deny him the chance for fresh air - or as fresh as he's going to get with the cigarette he's currently lighting up - but she finds she rather appreciates the request and so she simply shrugs, tightening her arms over her chest and tipping her head back up towards the starlit sky. "You want one?"

"I don't smoke," she answers simply.

"It's a terrible habit," he replies as though agreeing with a statement she hadn't made, "I'm trying to quit." She remains silent but tips her head back down to meet his gaze. His smile is kind but his eyes, they're filled with the same pain that colours her own. "My wife hated it, you'd think that'd be enough to deter me but…" he shrugs and holds the cigarette up a moment as though giving evidence before he takes another drag.

"I used to," she gives back after a long moment because he's really trying to make small talk and she finds that he's not irritating like some of them in the group. Well, not so far anyway. "More of a rebellion against my Mother than a real habit."

"As good a reason as any, I'd say."

She breathes a soft laugh, almost feeling the spark of life within her but it flickers and fades as it always seems to do. She hates the emptiness she feels, loathes it. It's part of the reason she'd been practically forced by both her therapist and her best friend into coming here every week.

"You're depressed, Regina," Emma had diagnosed three weeks ago when she'd found her laying in bed in an oversized sweater that was beginning to smell as bad as the woman wearing it. "You're wasting away in here and I won't allow you to do it. He wouldn't have wanted you to do it."

She swallows thickly as the words echo through her mind.

"It's not going to get easier," he interrupts her thoughts gently, "not yet anyway," he continues when he can see he's gained her attention once more, "but you'll find the strength to carry on and one day you'll stop and think, 'Oh, I haven't cried today.' That's a victory all of itself."

She finds she appreciates his honesty and can't help but ask, "How long ago did you lose your wife?"

"It'll be five years in June, our son's fifth birthday."

She died in childbirth it seems. Regina's heart aches for the woman she hadn't known simply for the thought of never having the joy of meeting her child - the thought of never getting to experience all that she has with Henry is almost too much to bear even if she'd been the world's shittest mother the past few weeks.

"And your husband?" he asks and fair's fair, she thinks.

"He was my fiance," she twiddles the ring she still hasn't been able to take off around her finger where it's curled over the crook of her arm. "He died two months ago tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," he nods, his expression solemn.

"Me, too."

They're interrupted then by the all too condescending tone of the group leader announcing that their short break is over and calling everyone back to rejoin the circle and she finds she doesn't want to go back in to listen to more and more stories of unimaginable grief only to be told that things are going to get better once they allow hope back into their lives. It makes her want to scream.

This man, this practical stranger seems to sense it and asks, "Do you want to get out of here?" and then, when she raises an eyebrow curiously, he continues, "I can't stand these sessions, I'd much prefer to go grab a beer and heal the old fashioned way."

"And you think that's wise?" she asks, shifting from one foot to the other, watching as he drops his cigarette and uses his foot to stamp it out. "Mixing alcohol with high emotions?"

"Every once in a while, sure. Or, we could always just take a really long walk around the city, get out of our heads for a little while."

She had to admit, that last one sounded rather tempting.

"I just think that people need the space to breathe every now and again, you know? Just breathe. Plus," a small smile begins curling at the corners of his lips as he continues, "I know a rather secluded spot that's perfect for those moments when you just want to scream until you can't anymore."

That does it, that last one. It has her nodding, accepting his offer and pushing off from the wall she'd been leaning on to begin following him, the grief counselling group be damned.

"I'm Robin, by the way."

She turns to look at him as they fall into step beside one another on the sidewalk, taking the hand he offers out to her and replying, "Regina."

He gives a firm shake before he tells her quite sincerely, "It's nice to meet you, Regina."

As she returns the sentiment and follows him on into the night with the promise of his aid in pulling a little life back into her exhausted body, she finds that it really is quite nice to have met him tonight.


	30. Domesticity

She looks utterly exhausted when she finally walks through the front door and he's not at all surprised. Libby's been a little hard to settle these last few nights – both Henry and Roland had been the same when they'd started teething, all red cheeks and puffy eyes – and so sleep hasn't been the easiest of things. He'd suggested staying home from the office, to cut herself a little slack and work from home if she'd really had to but, of course, Regina Mills was nothing if not professional, especially when it came to her beloved town and so she'd had none of it.

Even upon coming home every night, her first thought had been for their daughter – it's one of the many things he adores about her, her selflessness and the restless mother within her – and he knows she's been working herself into the ground every day ensuring that everything is in place for the Christmas fete which is why he hadn't told her of his plan for tonight and why she's stood in the middle of the foyer with a look of utter confusion on her beautiful face.

"Why is it so quiet?"

He chuckles softly, swinging the tea towel up to drape over his shoulder as he makes his way towards her and explains, "The children are having a little sleepover at Emma's tonight."

She frowns, allowing him to take her hands in his own as she asks, "All of them?" and when he nods, that frown deepens. "But Libby-"

"Is all set up with her teething ring and I've made sure to send Henry with a good supply of that ointment you put together should she fuss." He guides her towards him with a gentle tug and presses a kiss to her forehead, feeling the way the creases smooth beneath his lips as he lets go of her hands to rub gentle palms up and down her biceps. "You're dead on your feet, love. I thought you deserved a little break from nappies and tantrums. They'll be back with us in the morning but for tonight, I want you to relax and get a good sleep in you."

"You didn't have to send them away for that," she grouses lightly, "I can cope."

"I know all too well that you can, my darling but Emma offered and I'll never not jump at the chance to spend a little alone time with you."

She looks at him for a long moment, no doubt wanting to remain stubborn but, after a long moment, her exhaustion seems to win out and a gentle smile curls at her lips before she's tipping forward and resting her forehead against his mouth. "I'm not too sure what kind of company I'll be tonight without the distraction of the children here. I'm wrecked."

"Regina," he presses a kiss to her skin, those hands on her arms slipping through them to hug her body to his own, "as long as I get to be at your side, I have no qualms with whatever it is you wish to do. The dishes are done, the chores have all been completed and I have a pair of your comfiest pyjamas waiting in the living room for you."

She groans beautifully at that, stepping impossibly closer to hug him back around his waist and rest the side of her head on his chest as she breathes, "You're far too good to me." And then, after a long moment in which he'd almost thought she'd succumbed to her tiredness, she asks, "Can we just watch a movie and fall asleep on the couch?"

He chuckles softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and replying, "That sounds like a wonderful idea."


	31. PDA

**Airport AU**

"If you check your watch one more time, mate," Will sighed before taking another sip from his beer and allowing his eyes to wander over the steadily moving traffic of people, "I'll throw it out of the closest fire escape."

Robin chuckled despite the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "Well then you'd have to explain to my mother your reasons for doing so."

"Your mum loves me," he shrugged, "she'd understand."

Robin's eyes rolled as he too took a long pull from his beer. This weekend was important, he wanted it to be as special as possible for them and the simple fact that she was only minutes away from arriving had him quivering with nerves despite his bravado.

"Ey up," Will straightened up beside him, a smile lacing his voice – for all of his complaining at having to wait with Robin, the idiot was always happy to see Regina – "look what the cat dragged in."

"Nice to see you too, jerkface."

She barely had time to look in Robin's direction before she was being lifted from the ground and her lips captured by Robin's.

"Seriously?" Will groaned behind them but Robin paid absolutely no mind as he lifted a hand to thread fingers through Regina's hair when she secured herself with legs wrapped around his waist and a mouth just as eager as his own.

She whimpered lightly when he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, dragging his tongue over hers slowly, sensually as her fingers took a strong grip in his hair. "What's his problem?" she chuckled amusedly – and a little breathlessly – when they pulled apart for air after a long moment, stroking her fingers through his hair and smiling idiotically down at Robin.

"We've become the clingy couple that you used to complain about," he replied with a smug grin having told her such a thing would happen when they'd begun falling for one another. To his surprise though, instead of feigned irritation, she simply laughs, lifts her head to find Will over Robin's shoulder and tells him quite plainly to get over it before she's dropping her head once more and taking his mouth in another breath-taking kiss that Will can only groan at as Robin laughed into it.


	32. Family Night

Her fingers tighten around his even as she calls, "Keep hold of Libby's hand!" to the boys, watching as all three of their children move to get closer to the barrier, Henry hoisting his sister up onto his hip so that she's better able to see the bonfire and the preparation for the fireworks. Regina smiles despite the rather justified anxiety of having them so close to fire and allows Robin to lead her to their own little space by the thick oak of a tree.

The turn-out for tonight is rather amazing, she has to admit as she takes a quick glance around. Practically everyone in Storybrooke looks to have ventured out in their woolly hats and scarves and she's glad to see there's something of a gathering of children up near the barrier. A few years ago, such a thing would never have happened what with the news of Zelena's deception and subsequent pregnancy. It had been tough, watching parents forcing their prejudice onto their children but then, children had done what children do and made up their own minds about Libby – especially with the help of Neal and her brothers.

She smiles when Robin shifts to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her back enough to lean against him as he did the same against the tree, his chin lowering onto her shoulder. He was warm, blessedly so with the chill of winter. She couldn't help but chuckle softly when he dipped his head enough to press frosty lips to her cheek and even lower still to rest just above her scarf, making her squirm in his grasp with a girlish giggle.

He was smiling against her neck, she could feel it.

"You two are sickening, you know that?"

Her eyes opened – she wasn't quite sure when she'd closed them – to find Emma standing before them, amusement in her emerald eyes as Liam pulled at her hand impatiently.

"Can I go stand with Henry, Ro and Libby, Mom?"

"As long as you stay close by them and do not go under that barrier."

"I won't," Liam replies with a roll of his eyes – he resembled Killian more than he did Emma, except in certain moments like right then – before adding "I promise," at the rise of Emma's brows.

She watches for a long moment as he scampers off to join his brother and cousins – not by blood of course but he calls both Regina and Robin his aunt and uncle and so their children have always been seen as family in his innocent little eyes – before she turns back to them both and asks, "Now, are you gonna detangle yourselves so that I can stand to be in your company?"

"We're not that bad," Robin teases, pressing one last lingering kiss to Regina's cheek before unwrapping his arms from her shoulders only to allow his hands to fall to her waist.

"Seriously," Emma replies, "you're as bad as Mom and Dad."

"You take that back!" Regina is quick to respond, much to Robin and Emma's amusement.

"Face it, sweetheart," Robin shrugs with a grin, "we've become that clingy couple you used to complain about."


	33. Birds and the Bees

"I'm just gonna go, uh…yeah."

Regina's brow furrows as she watches her son move rather swiftly from the room, his bowl of cereal completely forgotten and it's not like him to skip breakfast. She says so when Robin pulls out the stool to sit beside her, pressing a tender kiss to her temple and chuckling at her confusion. "What?" she asks, turning that frown on him because it's quite clear that he knows something she doesn't.

He takes a moment, rolling his lips into his mouth as his chest bounces with his laughter, before he's turning to her and replying, "You're not as quiet as you think you are, love," with eyebrows raising when she stares dumbfounded back at him.

It takes her longer than usual to catch on to what he's trying to say but when she does, utter mortification floods her system as she breathes, "Oh my God."

His laughter only grows beside her and despite her embarrassment, he seems none too fussed by it. "He's almost sixteen," he gives by way of explanation for his amusement, "he learnt about the birds and bees a while back now, Regina."

She lands a heavy punch on his arm, cutting short his laughter with her next statement. "We are never having sex in this house again."


	34. One-Night Stand

The party is beginning to dwindle down, blessedly. Her feet are absolutely killing despite having slipped off her heels hours ago and stowing them beneath the heavy tablecloth of one of the tables – they were going to have quite the treasure hunt before heading into the house tonight – and she doesn't think she's ever danced so much in all of her life. Twice with Henry, her handsome little prince in his fitted tux and bowtie – he'd walked her down the aisle, kept her standing when her knees had threatened to buckle beneath her at the realisation that today had finally come – then a little swaying number with Roland on her hip, giggling wonderfully in her ear and countless times around the floor with Robin's men when they'd managed to pry her away from him.

Now though, despite her aching feet, she finds she never wants to leave the dancefloor and in particular, Robin's arms.

They're low on her back, palms settled on small of her back as his thumbs smooth over the fabric of her dress and he smiles tenderly down at her. His bowtie had been loosened by her restless fingers earlier, flung into the crowd amidst the hoots and hollers of their friends before she'd worked at undoing a few of his buttons also. His jacket was around her shoulders, keeping the gentle night breeze blowing through the marquee from giving her a chill. It smells like him. She adores it.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks after a long moment of simply looking at her – she feels like a damn teenager all over again with the way her cheeks are aching because she hasn't stopped smiling all day and how could she? – tilting his head in question when she first offered a breathy chuckle through her nose.

"I thought it was a one-night stand, you and me…" she replies amusedly, the palm she has on the back of his neck lifting upward enough to allow her fingers to swirl gently in the hair at the nape of his neck. "I thought it was a one-night stand…and now we're married."

He shakes his head amusedly, his chuckle just as breathy as her own as he dips his head in closer to hers, running his nose the length of hers to press a tender kiss to the tip before he rests his forehead against hers and replies, 'Best one-night stand I've ever had."

"I'll say."


	35. Soulmate

Her head is pounding, mouth dry as she comes to with a quiet whimper. The air around her is thick with dust and chilled despite the stone walls she can see and she's on the floor. It takes her a moment but then she remembers. It's only as her mouth opens that she realises she's not alone in here.

"You can scream if you want." That voice. She knows that voice. "Not that it'd do you any good in here, Your Majesty."

Her breath catches as he steps beneath the thin slither of light flooding in from above – they're underground, that much she can deduce – "Sidney."

"One and the same," he grins and her stomach turns at the sight of it. "Missed me?"

"I'd hoped you'd fallen into a hole and died, in all honesty," she replies, keeping up her walls despite the way her heart pounds in her chest. Her vault is the only underground facility in all of Storybrooke, as far as she's aware, but judging by the state of this place, this _pit,_ her former mirror has dedicated quite a lot of his time creating it.

"Sadly not," he bites back and he's never been one for hiding his feelings, especially not when it comes to her and so she hears the simmering anger beneath his words.

"What is it that you want?"

"Well, that's simple," he shrugs. The lighting from above casts a sinister shadow on his smirking face that turns her stomach for she knows just how dark his mind can get when he allows it to, "To keep you as you did me, Your Majesty. As my little pet to do with as I please."

She moves to respond, to push through the growing lump in her throat but is saved the trouble when the ceiling practically caves in beside Sidney and a rope dangles down.

"I'm coming, my love!"

Relief floods her body at the sound of Robin's voice mixed with Sidney's cry of outrage – he never was all that skilful in his revenge tactics but remembering that had been quite impossible only a moment ago with the threat of his rage – and she finds herself wiping tears from her eyes as she attempts to sit rather than laying on the hard stone.

Robin's boots hit the ground only seconds later.

"These walls were impenetrable!" Sidney cries, furious with her thief, "How the hell did you get in here!?"

"I'm her soulmate," Robin replies steadily before her uppercuts Sidney with a strong punch that renders him unconscious, "arsehole."

It's only later, as Robin scoops her up from the ground, pressing kisses to every inch of her skin and carrying her from the room, that he tells her of the tracking spell Emma had used in order to find her, a tracking spell born of their love.


	36. Never Have I Ever

He couldn't help but laugh when she stumbled, catching her by the waist and taking her weight as she slumped against him with a drunken giggle of her own. She hadn't appeared too worse for wear when they'd said goodbye to Snow and to Charming but then the cold air had hit her – had hit them both – and it seemed the game had caught up with her.

"These shoes are killing me," she whined and it only had him laughing louder as she asked, "why are you laughing?" in the same tone.

He shook his head, shifting her a little so that he could hold her with one arm as he lifted the other to show her his fingers and the heels dangling there.

"Oh, shut up." She pushed away from him, taking a step back and pausing for a moment to catch her balance before she groaned, "This is all your fault, anyway."

He scoffed, blinking drunkenly as she made her way towards the foyer stairs and he made sure to stay close behind to catch her should she fall, 'And how is it you have come to that conclusion, Your Majesty?"

"Because," she replied as she began unbuttoning her silk blouse, reminding him to thank John once again for taking the boys tonight so that they could let loose a little, "you're the reason I always lose 'Never Have I Ever'."

He watched as her shirt fluttered to the floor, lifting his gaze to find her shimmying out of her skirt even as she tried to continue walking forwards towards the stairs. Even as inebriated as he was, he could appreciate the easy humour behind such a loaded statement for they'd talked in length about their sexual histories – Regina's a far, far darker past than his own – and he'd held her through her tears but this wasn't a self-deprecating statement from her. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

"You and your insatiable appetites."

"I believe, Madam Mayor," he intoned as he gripped the banister and used it to spin him around and onto the first stair, gazing appreciatively up at his beautiful wife, "the saying goes that it takes two to tango."

She giggled, what a wondrous sound that was, before she stopped at the corner section of the stairwell and peered down at him beneath deliciously hooded eyes, crooking a finger at him and replying, "I was thinking a little more bump and grind than a tango, Thief."

He groaned aloud as he watched her peeling her panties off and felt his cock pulse in his too-tight trousers when they landed on his shoulder, eyes never leaving her deliciously pert rear as she turned and ran as best she could in her state up the rest of the stairs.

"Are you coming or not?"

And well, wasn't that the million dollar question.


	37. Intimacy

**Kind of M**

She shifted atop him, chuckling when he sat up in attempts to recapture the lips she'd removed from his as she sat up. She ignored his whine of protest, instead focusing on the hands he had trailing up and down her thighs, always stopping at the hem of her damn dress and wasn't it about time that she rectified that?

He helped, the very instant he realised her intentions when lean fingers hooked into the bottom of the dress she'd practically poured herself into earlier that evening and she lifted onto her knees. She stopped him when it reached her hips, gave her enough leverage to scuffle forwards and sit properly on her lap, her forearms resting atop his shoulders with her fingers gently interlaced, palms curved around his neck. "Hey…" she whispered, leaning forward enough to nudge her nose against his, laughing when she moved back and he followed once more, "hey," she smiled as she held his face in her hands, keeping his gaze from falling back to the black lace panties he'd been fixated upon.

He looked a little dazed and confused, lost in a haze of lust, in the scent of her perfume, in the feel of her pressed against him. She still affected him so very strongly, even after all of these years. He smiled against her when she finally relented to him, dipped her head to press her lips against his own, kneading them tenderly with that wondrous full mouth of hers that opened to him when he licked along the seam. He couldn't supress the moan that bubbled up and out of his throat when her tongue slid slowly against his own nor when her own whimper was accompanied with a tentative grind of her hips against his own, almost as though she'd lost control of her lower half and was only aware when his hardening erection brushed against her swollen clit through her panties, only denim and lace between them.

She'd wanted to say something to him though, something about… _"Oh,_ Robin," she breathed when he pressed himself harder against her on her next grind, his fingers flexing and gripping at her hips, pulling her down and into him, "I-"

"Yes?" he inhaled her gasp, their mouths hovering, never meeting and he loved watching her face contort as her eyes squeezed shut and her brow furrowed, strangled moans panted against his lips that had him almost painfully hard beneath her. He slid his hands up the expanse of her back, blindly searching for the zipper of her dress until he was able to tug it down and pull the material from her shoulders, glad when her hands instantly returned to his neck and his face once she'd manoeuvred her arms from it, still moving of her own accord. "God, Regina" he moaned, muffling the sound against the skin of her neck as he buried his face there.

She clutched him to her breast as she threw her head back, the coil in her stomach winding tighter and tighter with every thrust against him and her heart was pounding a fierce rhythm in his ear, a rhythm that spoke only of her love for him. It was with that thought, as she held him close to her, that had her thanking the gods that they'd found each other so long ago, that she'd be able to one day, old and nearing the end of her life, lay beside her soul mate, her best friend and her one true love and know that they'd been able to spend a lifetime together. This in turn had her pushing him away from her and forcing her hips to stop their movements, not entirely easy with how close she'd been coming to that edge of pure ecstasy.

"Wha-"

"Shh…" she chuckled, pressing a finger against his (almost) pouting lips as she sat back enough to gather both her breath and her thoughts and though she could feel his eyes on her, complete confusion radiating from him and passion still burning from the fingers clenching and relaxing against her thighs, she remained quiet, searching for some sort of calm that wouldn't have her starting this all over again before she'd been able to tell him what had screaming to get out of her all night. "Shh…" she laughed softly, more to herself than to him but he knew, just as well as she, how completely wonderful she found it to still be _so_ attracted to him even when she knew practically every single thing there was to know about him as he did her. She tilted her head forward after a long moment and when her breathing had finally calmed from short pants to deep inhales, smiling when he was there waiting for her, his own forehead for her to rest against and hands that lifted to card through her hair.

"What's wrong babe?" he asked, the question a whisper of breath against her smiling lips and she couldn't help but tip her face down enough to nuzzle his nose with her own in complete affection. They were almost too close to see one another, blue eyes focused on chocolate brown, her fingers tracing the lines and slopes of a face she knew better than her own and lips curving into a smile that didn't require conscious thought, not when she was with him.

Her head tilted as she shook her head slowly, her eyes crinkling with adoration as her index finger stroked along his lower lip and she replied "absolutely nothing."

He hummed warmly, moving his hands to link fingers against the small of her back, laughing as she leaned away from him, playfully testing the grip he had on her, knowing he'd never let her fall and that never just meant in the literal sense.

"I am so proud of you Robin," she told him in complete tender seriousness when she moved herself upright once more, palms flat against his bare chest and eyes sparkling from both the light of the moon streaming in through the uncovered window and something from within her very soul, alight with the love she had for him and the love he returned in kind. She caught his head when he ducked his gaze away shyly, hands cupping his jaw and thumbs stroking across his stubbled skin as she emphasised her words with little shakes to his face. " _So_ proud of you."

He looked at her for a long moment, his brow furrowing softly as he turned his face in her hands to press a kiss to the pad of her thumb before telling her "I love you so very much Regina," because he did, "and I have done since we were a pair of scruffy teenagers in that damn home, bad attitudes and heartache to match and knowing that you're doing this with me," he shook his head as he looked at her, as though he couldn't understand _why_ she was there atop him (but she knew he did all the same), "that we're going to do for other kids what no one ever did for us," she swallowed hard as tears pricked at her eyes though she smiled at him so tenderly in encouragement to continue, "it makes me so excited to see where this next path is going to take us."

She nodded her agreement, just a gentle affirmation as she leaned forward to buss his lips with her own, wanting to remain in this tender moment as she snaked her arms back around his neck and pulled him against her in a loving embrace, every part of their body touching. She turned her face into his neck, smiling at the kiss he placed upon her shoulder and unable to keep herself from whispering "I love you too," rocking them playfully as she tagged on "so fucking much it hurts."

He pressed another kiss to her shoulder and wrapped his arms even tighter around her slim waist, thanking every single star in the universe that she was here with him.


	38. A Second Chance

"I have to go," she breaks the moment, eyes falling from his as she exhales a shuddered breath. It hurts too much standing here in his new apartment, pictures of Roland lining the shelves much like the ones she has back at home, the only difference being that she isn't in any of them. Not anymore.

It doesn't smell like them here, doesn't _feel_ like them and she knows it's her own fault. She'd pushed him away like she did everyone else and despite her absolute regret in doing so, she knows it's for the best. She's poisonous, just like her mother had said all those years ago before she'd slammed the door in her face. "Can't you stay for bedtime?" he asks and she hates herself for wanting to. Hates the flicker of hope that lights within her at his question because she can't.

"I can't."

And she knows his "Why not?" is coming but even still, she wavers when he voices it. Lifts her eyes to find his once more and how she wishes there wasn't so much distance between them.

"It would only confuse him," because it would, she knows it would and god help her, she's caused enough pain in this family as it is. "He doesn't understand why we're living apart as it is."

"Neither do I, in all honesty."

She staggers back when she realises he's moving towards her, her heart hammering in her chest, climbing into her throat. She wants to fall into his strong arms and let him hold her, let him make it all better like she knows he can. "Robin," she shakes her head, eyes pleading but there's a determination in his as though he's realised the one thing he hasn't tried since their split, the one thing he knows will break her. "Robin, we ca-"

"Shh," he breathes, within reach of her now and he lifts his hands to catch her own. His thumbs rub over her knuckles, following as she goes, only stopping when her back hits the wall behind her and she has nowhere else to go. No escaping him. "Shh…" he repeats before he lifts a palm to her cheek and lowers his face to her own.

She feels as though she can't breathe, like the whole world is falling in on her even as her head tilts up towards his, lips like magnets. She's always been drawn to him, since the very beginning and she knew she shouldn't have come here. Knew it was dangerous because she loved him with absolutely everything she had. The pull only intensifies when he catches her lips in a soft kiss and wraps his arms around her waist to keep her from falling when her knees buckle beneath her because this is all she's been dreaming of for the past month. Ever since he'd listened to her order to get out.

She understands it then, when he slants his head and deepens the kiss with her permission, with the inevitable parting of her lips beneath his. He's been waiting her out. Giving her space. Holding off until the time was right and she's still not sure that the time _is_ right but it's hard to think at all when he's kissing her like he is, as though asking her to give him another chance, to give _them_ another chance.

"Okay," she whispers against his lips in a pause for breath, unsure of when her hands had taken a grip of his hair but uncaring as she nodded, her forehead brushing against his own before she repeats, "okay."

And he seems to understand, of course he does, as he lets loose a stressed breath that washes over her mouth and replies, "Thank you," before capturing her lips once more and pouring every ounce of love he has into it.


	39. A Small Victory

There were blood spatters on the cold concrete slabs. Dark red spots leading to her chambers in a trail he couldn't help but follow because she'd said she was okay, insisted that she was no worse for wear but he'd seen the way she'd been favouring her right leg, caught the ripped leather she'd barely managed to conceal with the tail of her jacket and he hadn't said anything for the Charmings had been watching just as closely as he – not quite but still enough – and he knew the last thing she'd want was for the Princess to fawn over her so he'd kept quiet, shared concerned glances with them before taking his leave to put his son to bed.

It wasn't fair of him to use Roland as an excuse, not when John had taken him to bed an hour before but he needed to check on her, even if she didn't want him there.

Her door was slightly ajar, poorly muffled hisses audible from his place in the corridor and he'd been about to simply slip inside when he heard her sighed, "Are you going to stand there all night?" from inside and realised that she'd known he would follow and was simply too tired to stop him.

It worried him as much as it comforted him.

She was sitting at the end of her bed with legs bare save for the lace of her nightdress that rested mid-thigh. He'd have found her utterly irresistible – in all honesty, he still did – if it weren't for the deep slices marring her smooth skin. There were glass bottles on the bed beside her hand as well as a washcloth and he didn't hesitate in covering the floor between them to kneel in front of her, asking with only a look for permission to help her.

The Queen was hesitant but also absolutely exhausted and so, with another heavy sigh, she nodded once and turned her gaze to the night sky.

He curled his fingers gently around her ankle and guided her foot to rest flat atop his thigh, wincing guiltily when her face creased in pain and uttering soft apologies when his shifting to grab the washcloth and ointments caused her discomfort.

"It's okay," was her simple reply though she still didn't look at him. Her jaw was crossed, no doubt frustration at having to let him help her but she was doing so nonetheless and so he didn't push, merely set about coating the dry fabric of the cloth with medicine before giving her enough warning to stop him.

"It may sting and I apologise if it does."

"I've had worse," she replied nonchalantly despite the underlying meaning. He wondered just how much worse she'd had to suffer alone.

He worked away at her leg – glad to see the other unmarked – as carefully and as tenderly as he could, his anguish growing with the red of the washcloth. He wanted to ask why she'd gone alone, why she'd risked her life in such a way but he knew she hadn't the strength to argue with him nor to answer questions he already knew the answer to. She was stronger without the worry of those her sister could hurt, she had nothing to lose in her eyes.

"Why do you keep coming back?"

He blinked, startled at her question and even more so when he looked up to find her peering down at him with narrowed eyes. There was suspicion there, of course, but an underlying curiosity born of frustration that he almost chuckled at but she was in no mood and so he replied with the only thing he could in that moment, the only thing that wouldn't have her avoiding him once again as she had in the past few weeks since he'd kissed her. "Because I want to."

It wasn't the answer she sought and he could see the want for more in her eyes but her blinks were growing heavier, her posture weakening as fatigue took over and so she merely rolled her eyes and looked away once more. They'd talk about it when she was rested and had healed properly, he wasn't going to allow her to run from him this time, not without proper explanation but tonight was not a night for that. Tonight was about care and he'd be damned if he let his feelings get in the way of her health and so, he merely continued working at her leg and when he'd finished, he pressed a tender kiss to her shin with absolutely no apology on his lips.

Her eyes widened slightly at the move but when she turned to look at him, nothing more than a weary sigh escaped her lips and for tonight, he'd take that as a small victory.


	40. Christmas Party

He's told her about his handsy work colleague before, complained about her inability to take a hint and her lack of professionalism in the workplace on the days where exhaustion had trumped his kind nature just enough. Still, despite his forewarning, Regina feels a surge of rage when she looks over to find the redhead trying – and failing – to lead Robin beneath some strategically hung mistletoe in their kitchen doorway. The very same sprig that had made Robin late that morning for he'd been unable to keep from pulling Regina beneath it.

The woman knows he's married, Regina can see his damn wedding ring from here but still the woman persists and Regina seethes with the cheek of it all.

"Just ignore her," Emma whispers into her ear, noticing her line of sight, "she's clearly desperate for a little attention."

"Well, she's looking for it in the wrong place," Regina replies in a low voice as she places the chip bowl down onto the side table and slips through the throng of gathering people towards the kitchen, jaw set and eyes steady on the redhead.

Robin notices her when she's not ten steps away, utter relief colouring his eyes at the sight of her – she'd only left him a few moments ago to replenish snacks but a few moments had been enough for his snake of a colleague – and she'd smile in return were she not dead set on putting this stranger in her place. She'd thought to grab the woman's hand and tear it away from Robin's chest but only seconds before she did it, she made the decision to have a little fun.

Grabbing Robin's wrist, she gives him a good tug, spinning him with her and pinning him to the kitchen doorframe – ignoring the hollers and catcalls of their guests – as she takes his mouth with her own, slipping her tongue against his own in clear view of everyone. Now, usually she wouldn't condone such a public display but there's always been something about Robin that brings out this side in her, this healthy streak of jealousy.

They trust one another completely but still, she can't help but growl, "Mine," against his lips when they part for air, revelling in the smug grin that curls his mouth as he smooths his hands over the small of her back and down to grasp at her ass.

"Mine," he repeats in turn as he squeezes the delicious swells and chuckles against her lips when she dips back in for another kiss.

"I don't believe we've met," comes the voice of his colleague.

Regina bites at Robin's bottom lip rather territorially – much to his apparent delight – before she pivots enough to face the redhead, a swell of affection filling her when Robin's arms wrap around her waist and his chin comes to rest on her shoulder.

"This is my Regina," Robin introduces and there's a pride in his voice that always gets her, like he's the luckiest man in the world to call her such a thing – he tells her all the time that he feels that is the case and she always hushes him with bashful kisses – "Sweetheart, this is my assistant, Zelena."

"I'm his wife,' Regina adds needlessly for clarity, a warning flashing through her eyes that the woman seems to catch with the way her eyebrow lifts slightly.

"Yes, well," Zelena replies after a long moment of simply staring at the pair of them, swallowing thickly as she picks up her purse from the side table and begins to move backwards, "Merry Christmas to you both."

"And a Happy New Year," Regina replies saccharinely as she watches the woman disappear through the crowd and then out into the hallway to take her leave.

"Did you have to do that to her?" Robin asks, nipping at the crook of her neck and hugging her tighter against him.

"Absolutely," Regina grins, turning only her head to catch his eyes when his head lifts once more before she presses a kiss to his cheek and adds, "now come dance with me, my darling husband."

And well, she didn't have to ask him twice.


	41. Rule of Three

In the short amount of time that she's been working at Roni's, Scarlett has come to learn three things about her boss and the bar's namesake.

One, she took absolutely no shit from anyone. The first night Scarlett had found herself in here – forced in by a sudden heavy downpour, sopping wet and freezing – she'd found herself rather quickly pressed between the coat rack and a tank of a man stinking of ale and lechery. Surprised by both his sudden appearance and the sheer stink of him, she'd been frozen, unable to do anything as he'd trailed a dirty great paw up and over her waist on his way to her breast. He'd whispered crude and horrible things in her ear as he'd done it, about what he wanted to do to her, what he was _going_ to do to her before, at an alarming speed, he'd been dragged off of her and pressed face first into the wall beside her with an arm twisted awkwardly and, with the way he'd been going on, _painfully_ behind his back.

She'd expected to find a bouncer of some sort – or even just an observant patron – holding him there but instead had found herself looking at a petite woman with a hell of a grip. She'd had one hand curled tight around his arm whilst the other had had his face pressed squashed hard against the wall as she'd barked at him to leave her bar and never return. He'd scarpered pretty quickly, stumbling out into the night with a few choice words for the woman that'd apprehended him.

Scarlett came to learn number two that very night.

Roni, her saviour, had a huge heart.

She'd shouted for one of her regulars to watch the bar before she'd ushered Scarlett into the back room and sat her down, pressing a cold beer into her hand and checking her over before she'd even been able to utter a word.

 _"_ _We don't usually get his kind in here,"_ Roni had assured her, wiping away tears that Scarlett hadn't even realised she'd been crying. _"I'm sorry, honey."_

Scarlett had shaken her head, swallowing against the lump in her throat before she'd managed a choked, _"It's okay,"_ and then an, _"I'm okay,"_ that'd reassured no one.

 _"_ _Take a good swig of that, sweetheart,"_ Roni had encouraged, stopping her only for a quick second to ask, _"you are over twenty-one, right?"_ and Scarlett had laughed wetly before nodding and telling her that she was twenty-four.

 _"_ _Twenty-five in two weeks."_

 _"_ _Okay, good."_

She didn't know why she'd confessed all about her tragic past to a woman she barely knew – her mother's death a year before she'd arrived in Seattle followed by her boyfriend's murder not too long after, _"I just need a fresh start, you know?"_ – but there was something about Roni that screamed comfort. She'd offered her a job that night and a place to stay until she found her sleep and Scarlett had accepted gratefully.

It's been six months since that night and she hasn't looked back yet. She almost has enough saved for a deposit on an apartment not too far from the bar and things have only been getting better since her arrival…for both women.

Sean had showed up for the first time not too long after Scarlett had and, in turn, had taught her the third thing she's come to know about her boss – Roni is a terrible liar.

Scarlett isn't sure when harmless flirting over the bar top of a night shift had transitioned to poorly muffled orgasms in the stock room but all she knows that, as strange as it sounds, she's glad it has for the simple fact that Roni's spirits have lifted hugely.

Still, she'd tried to hide the relationship – or whatever it was – from Scarlett only to find herself terribly flushed when a rather graphic text from Sean had flashed up on her phone and blew a hole in her little white lies. They still haven't talked properly about it but Scarlett had laughed amusedly before giving her boss' bicep a supportive squeeze and carrying on with the night shift prep.

She looks up from the counter she's wiping at the sound of soft laughter to find Roni leaning against the doorframe to the corridor leading from her apartment to the bar. She's dressed only in a shirt – Sean's presumably – with messy hair and a face bare of makeup. Sean tucks a strand of wayward hair back from her face before leaning in to press a soft and lingering kiss to Roni's lips, one that has her lifting a palm to his cheek to keep him in place for a few moments more before she releases him and utters a tender 'Goodbye'.

He greets Scarlett with one of those trademark dimpled grins before stealing one last bashful glance at Roni and leaving for the morning – he'll be back this afternoon or tonight at the very latest, it's come to be expected.

Her eyes move from the exit to her boss, dark eyes still trained on the back of Sean before they turn upon Scarlett and Roni asks, "What?" rather self-consciously despite her usually tough exterior.

"Nothing," Scarlett shrugs with a bright smile before she tilts her head and adds, "Happiness looks good on you, that's all."


	42. Fate

She needs to stop this and she needs to stop this soon. When it went from screaming orgasms and hurried goodbyes to early morning kisses beneath sheets warmed by the rising sun she doesn't know but things have changed. It's not easy anymore to order him from her chambers, still panting and quivering from her orgasm. She tells herself that it's only from sheer exhaustion that she lets him remain, not having the energy to tell him to leave but in truth, not that she'd admit this to him, she's become quite addicted to being held by him through the night.

He seeks her out, should she roll from him in her sleep. Sometimes it takes a little longer but his body always finds hers even in slumber and no longer can she count on one hand the amount of nights she's woken to herself being pulled back against his body, to his lips dropping tender kisses upon her bare back before he'd nuzzle into her skin and fall back into his dreams.

It had scared her the first time, had worried her the second and by the third time had confused her altogether for the simple fact that she liked it. _Loved_ it, even.

Never in her life has she ever wanted to _belong_ to someone. Even before her days in the palace, before she'd grown into her wayward curls and full lips and Mother had seized an opportunity, her biggest fear had been becoming someone else's property, unable to think for herself, to do anything for herself.

But Robin is different. Belonging to Robin has a completely different meaning for the simple fact that she's his equal.

He doesn't bend to her will like others before him, nor does he expect her to bend to his. They bicker, they argue and they burn through one another's patience…but, the most surprising thing of all, is that she likes it. _Loves_ it. Loves him.

Her eyes open slowly, still heavy with sleep though she fights it and focuses on the face mere inches away from her own. His arm is draped heavily over her waist, the tips of his fingers pressed lightly to the skin of her back, relaxed in sleep. She'd known his was handsome from the first moment she'd laid eyes upon him – it's not a hard thing to notice with his kind blue eyes and irresistible scruff – but it's more than that. "You're beautiful," she whispers, his face twitching as her breath washes over him.

His eyes move gently beneath his eyelids before his hand flattens and rests fully on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him as expected. He tilts his face upwards on the pillow and presses his lips to her forehead in a soft kiss. "I think that's supposed to be my line." His voice is gruff with sleep and her heart pounds as his face comes back into view, lips curved and eyes open, moving slowly over her face. It soon fades however when he catches the expression she holds. "What is it?"

She swallows thickly, nerves skittering through her body and chasing away any exhaustion left as she lifts her palm to cup his cheek, thumb moving over his skin as she whispers, "I want to tell you something…but I'm afraid."

"Regina," he replies, his brow furrowed gently as his thumb swipes over her back in soothing lines, "you can tell me anything, you know that."

She does, of course she does but this isn't just _anything._ This is _everything._ "If I tell you…" she begins, her hand sliding down to his chest, fingers drawing circles through the smattering of hair there, "there is a chance that you might leave me and if you walk away everything will fall apart. I wouldn't survive it, Robin."

His hand shifts but remains on her back as he moves to prop himself up on his free arm, that frown deepening as he looks down at her, probably thinking a million and one terrible things and so, when he opens his mouth to speak once more, she cuts him off. Rips the band aid off as quickly as she can.

"I love you."

Robin's face smooths of lines as he adopts an expression of pure shock, those soothing strokes of his thumb forgotten.

"I love you," she repeats because now that she's said it she can't stop and the fear is building within her with every word that follows, "despite everything that I thought this was going to be, everything I tried to _make_ it be, you changed it and you changed me and now I'm in love with you. You weren't supposed to do that to me but you have and I hate that you have because I don't hate it at all.

"I never thought I would _ever_ be able to love again, not after Daniel or Daddy or Henry. I didn't _want_ to love again because everyone I love either dies or leaves and I can't lose you like I lost them, I just ca-"

She whimpers in shock and pure relief when he cuts off her babbling with a hard kiss, his hand leaving her back to thread fingers through her hair as he pushes her head deeper into the pillow with the force of it. Her mouth opens and instantly a moan vibrates low in her throat when he deepens the kiss and swipes his tongue against her own. Her hands are in his hair, knees bending to hug him tighter between her legs when he shifts to hover over her, covering her with his body in the way that she loves and it's not about sex despite their positions. It's about comfort, she can feel it in every single touch he bestows upon her, in the way he softens and slows their heady exchange until their tongues are moving together unhurriedly and her arms wrap around his neck to hold him close to her.

His heart is beating just as hard as her own, she can feel it against her chest and it only has her crying harder as she clings to him. "I don't want you to leave, Robin."

She's not talking about this morning or this afternoon or tomorrow or any day that may come after. She's talking about forever.

"I don't want you to leave me."

He sweeps dark strands back from her forehead as he lifts his head from her neck to look down at her with those kind eyes before he dips down to press a tender kiss to her lips that lingers in the most heart aching of ways. "From the very first moment I saw you, Regina Mills," he whispers, eyes moving from her eyes to her lips and back once more, "I knew that I was done for. You have filled my life with something I'd forgotten to miss. You are my dearest friend and my favourite adversary, my confidant, my soul and my love. I love you with absolutely everything that I have and I promise you now," his eyes move between her own, "that I will do absolutely everything in my power to ensure that I will never, _ever_ have to leave your side. You are stuck with me."

She chuckles gently, wetly and swallows thickly. "Well, I'm sure there are worse fates."


	43. Cursed

**Missing Year AU**

She looks serene in her eternal sleep, face free of its usual hardness, the severity of the Queen's everlasting ire nowhere to be seen and of course she's beautiful – she always is – but he sees no beauty in her stillness. None at all.

He knows why she did it, why she chose to do this to herself despite the wide spread assumption that she'd been tricked by the Wicked Witch. It had been her alleged sister's doing, of course it had but it had been Regina's choice to prick her finger, to give herself over to the merciless curse that she'd sought after not too long after he'd first met her. He's not sure of the particulars – she'd forbidden him to follow her when she'd gone to meet with the witch, had threatened to chain him to a tree should he dare try – but he knows that, once again, Regina had been underestimated by her enemy and, in particular, Regina's current situation.

Snow White sleeps a troubled slumber in the corner of the room, her neck bent at an odd angle with the weight of her head but she's exhausted and, he supposes, comfort is the last thing on the Princess' mind. He makes sure not to rouse her as he rounds the bed and comes to kneel at Regina's side, taking a soft, limp hand with his own and lifting the back of it to his cheek, closing his eyes at the contact. She's still warm, blessedly for he'd think her to be dead otherwise and the very thought of that has a lump forming in his throat.

She's still wearing the dress he'd helped her lace only this morning, chasing kisses on the bare skin of her back in attempts to get her to remain with him and forget her meeting with the witch. She'd indulged him for a long moment more, chuckling softly and playing with the fingers he'd had curled around her waist before she'd turned and guided his lips to her own with a soft palm. It had been the most tender kiss they'd shared since they'd given in to the strong pull between them months before and he'd thought it to be a goodbye kiss, thought that she'd already decided that she wasn't to be returning to him but as he kneels beside her now, he knows it for what it was. Her blessing.

It was her blessing to allow the emotions that had been growing between them – despite her desire for nothing more than a 'quick fuck' as she'd put it in those early days – to run free. She knew what her fate was to be at the hands of her sister and, in turn, she knew that he'd be here to bring her back because, "I've been in love with you this whole bleeding year and you never once told me," and it's not accusatory because he's chuckling softly as he says it, as the realisation finally takes him, "what a cruel thing to do, Your Majesty."

He looks her over for a long moment more, taking in the elegant slope of her nose and the soft curve of her full lips before he shook his head amusedly and lifted himself enough to hover with his face over hers.

"Time to wake up, my love."

The rush of air that spreads out from between them when his lips close over her own pulls a shiver from him but he remains where he is, almost sobbing with relief when he feels her respond slowly and then all at once, chuckling against his mouth when he uses gentle hands curled around her biceps to pull her into a sitting position with their lips still joined. He never wants to stop kissing her.

"No," he grunts playfully – though he can still feel the urge to cry with absolute relief - against her mouth when he feels her beginning to pull back, "I'm not finished yet."

Her responding laughter is like the sweetest of melodies to his ears before he takes her parted lips as invitation and deepens the kiss, earning a heady moan that has their forgotten guest stirring in her seat with a sharp waking inhale.

"R-Regina!?"

His beautiful brunette's lips curve beneath his own before she uses soft hands framing his face to pull back and look at him properly with the brightest of eyes. "Took you long enough, Thief," she breathes tenderly as she strokes his stubbled cheek and tilts her head up to press a kiss to the tip of his nose, "now, no more sitting around. We have work to do."


	44. Pixie Dust Never Lies

The boys are still sleeping soundly when he checks in on them, sleep mussed hair and soft snores into pillows. They'll wake soon – Henry's always lived with quite a scheduled morning routine and Roland had woken with the rising sun in their days in the forest – but they've a couple of hours yet and he loves the routine they've fallen into so very easily.

He can smell the welcoming scent of coffee even from the stairway, can hear Regina's melodious humming filtering in from the kitchen as he reaches the bottom step. She doesn't often sing but when she does, it's a wondrous thing to behold. She sings Roland back to sleep on the nights he wakes scared and disorientated and Robin has found Henry sitting with his back against the wall to Roland's room many a night, listening to his mother. Robin still wonders how she'd ever doubted her abilities as a mother.

She doesn't notice him right away when he stills in the kitchen doorway and he doesn't move to make his presence known for blessed are the moments he gets to watch her when she thinks no one is looking.

She stands with her back against the counter and her eyes on the yard through the window, watching as the soft morning breeze blows through the branches of her apple tree. Scarlett is dozing in her arms, her cheek on Regina's shoulder and eyes closed as her mother rubs a gentle and soothing palm over her back, still singing softly. It's still hard to believe that his daughter is not Regina's – she is, in every way except simple biology – for they share the strongest of bonds. Scarlett resembles Zelena only in hair colour and though he'd been worried to see those vivid ginger curls growing, he wouldn't change her for the world.

"I dread the day she grows too big for me to carry her," Regina murmurs quietly, pulling Robin from his musings.

"How do you always know when I'm close by?" he asks with a smile as he pads slowly into the room and over to his love.

She breathes a gentle laugh, tilting her head up for the kiss she knows to be coming – it's soft and lingering, pulls a warm hum from her as his hand covers hers on their daughter's back for a moment – before she answers simply, "Because I love you."

"I love you, too." He steals another kiss from her lips – the taste of coffee and of her his favourite brew – before he reaches to the side of her and brings her mug to her lips, quite sure she hasn't been able to take a sip since Scarlett had fallen asleep on her. She smiles gratefully as she swallows the mouthful and watches with beautifully dark eyes as he takes a sip in turn. "Have you been up long?"

She shakes her head, still smiling tenderly up at him, "I wanted to get a head start on today, we have a lot of things to do before her birthday party."

Robin nods, a sense of wonder washing over him as he covers Regina's hand on Scarlett's back once more and whispers, "I can't believe she's four already."

Regina's hand stills beneath his and her smile falters as tears gloss her eyes, it's a look he hasn't seen for some time and it has him tilting his head in curiosity, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts before she manages a choked, "Did you ever think we'd get here?"

And he understands completely, can't help but smile softly as he lifts his free hand to cup the back of her head and guide her towards him so that he can press a kiss to her forehead before he pulls back and replies honestly, "No, my love," because there had been moments – too many awful moments – in which he'd thought they'd never see one another again but then, of course, he adds, "but pixie dust never lies."

A tear falls from her eye even as she chuckles at him and tilts her head up once more for a kiss.


	45. Smut - Part 1

"You want me to-" he swallowed thickly, body trembling beneath her fingers as she kneeled upon the bed, hands trailing down from the small of his back and over his ass to grasp as his cheeks with dark hooded eyes that only made him grow harder.

"You heard me," she breathed as her fingers flexed and her tongue flicked out to lick at the tip of him, his cock twitching and balls tightening at the sensation. "I want you to fuck my mouth."


	46. Smut - Part 2

"Open your mouth," she breathes as she positions herself above him, nails scratching over the sensitive skin of her abdomen as she waits for him to do so before instructing, "and stick out your tongue."

He's so riled - they both are, and especially so having fucked her sinful mouth so well, pulling out when he'd been just on the edge of coming - that his fingers dent the skin of her thighs as he groans and grants her wish, his tongue wonderfully stiff as she lowers herself down onto it and slides her hands up to knead at her breasts.

Her eyelids flutter at the wondrous sensation as she lifts herself up only enough for just the tip to remain inside before lowering herself again and dropping a hand to his hair, riding his face with complete abandon.


	47. Now and Forever

She stands alone before her sister's grave, twirling the stem of a white rose between her gloved fingers as she stares down at the engraved metal plate upon wood, the letters slightly blurred through the sheen of tears in her eyes. She doesn't need to see them to read them though. Zelena Mills.

An echo sounds in her head, reverberates cruelly over and over. "It's good to have family in town."

She still feels numb from it. From all of it. It had happened so quickly and she still can't quite believe it had happened at all but then she remembers with a heavy heart… Robin had been saved by Zelena, her soul had been destroyed instead of his and she can still see it, the expression glowing so ethereally on her sister's face as she'd cast her eyes over the daughter she'd barely had chance to enjoy before looking back to Regina with the easiest of smiles she'd ever known the woman to give. Approval. Forgiveness. Trust. Acceptance.

Regina bends at the waist to lay the rose atop the coffin, remaining close enough to trace the words Beloved Sister beneath Zelena's name with a careful touch and cursing her mother once more for taking so much from them.

Her words are taken by the wind, carried away but heard all the same by the only one they're meant for. "Thank you."

There aren't many in the diner when she arrives - there hadn't been all too many at the funeral, as expected - and Regina finds herself grateful to find only those she wants there, some she hadn't thought to want at all but she's happy enough to see all the same.

Roland is with Henry at the counter, the older of the two acknowledging her with a smile too old for his years before turning his attention back to the toddler and listening with enthusiasm. She manages a weak but loving smile in return before her attention is pulled to Robin as he meets her by the door, reaching for her hand and intertwining their fingers comfortingly.

He doesn't ask if she's okay, of course she's not. Instead, he merely squeezes her hand and subtly wipes a stray tear from her eye before gently leading her towards the booth in which Snow and David sit.

Emma sits in the booth behind, holding tight to the man she'd thought she'd said her final goodbye to and Regina finds her smile comes a little easier for the woman when their eyes meet. Her fingers curl tighter around Robin's.

"Granny's bringing a few plates out for us," Snow gives by way of greeting as she watches both Robin and Regina slip into the booth opposite her, both remaining as close to one another as is possible, "we weren't quite sure what was best so she's preparing a bit of everything."

Regina nods, exhaling heavily as she leans into Robin's side and crosses an arm over her body to grip lightly at his bicep. She's grounded by his presence and the sound of their children's laughter after a day of jarring numbness.

"We were wondering if you'd like us to take the children for the night?" Snow continues, glancing quickly at her husband - a quick and easy discussion had by looks alone - before looking back to Regina and Robin. "Give you a little time to yourselves."

Robin says nothing, merely looks to her with slightly raised eyebrows and a completely open expression. It's her decision to make.

"I'd prefer to have them close by tonight," she replies after a moment of consideration, glad to hear that she can speak through the lump lingering in her throat, "but I appreciate the offer."

Snow nods, a kind smile curling her mouth. "Well, the offer stands for whenever you wish to accept it."

"Thank you."

She startles slightly when a small figure appears rather suddenly and scrambles up and onto her lap without comment, a breath of laughter escaping through her nose as she's filled with Roland's soft scent. "Well, hello to you too, sweetheart."

He turns a dimpled grin on her having barely seen her with everything that had been going on, "Hi, Regina. You look pretty today."

She blinks, surprised, before replying, "Thank you. You look very handsome."

He does, in the little suit they'd managed to find for him. It matches Henry's - something Roland had been ecstatic to discover this morning - and seeing the both of them looking so grown-up before they'd left this morning had lightened Regina's heart a little. "Thank you."

Regina lifts her arms enough to loop them around Roland's waist, both holding and supporting him as he leans forward to slide his colouring book across the table before leaning back against her and continuing with the bird he'd begun earlier. When he's settled, she rests her chin on his shoulder and allows herself to watch mindlessly as he colours each feather with an adorable amount of concentration.

Robin is at the dartboard with Henry, teaching him ways in which to improve his aim and he's promised to take her son out one afternoon, to show him a little archery - much to Henry's delight. The baby is sleeping soundly in her carry seat beside Regina, cherubic little lips puckering and relaxing. It's something she's always wanted, a scene just like this. Though, she'd rather it be in a different context…but then, it will be from now on, after they've gotten through today.

This is real now, final. No more obstacles between them, no more days spent apart.

This is their family for now and for forever and, as Roland turns enough to offer Regina a purple crayon with which to help him finish his picture, she can't help but feel something settle within her at the thought of it.


	48. Her First

She follows him up when he pulls back from her neck to sit on his heels, a nervous crease in his brow that she smooths with her thumb as she continues, "I have loved you since I was twelve years-old," her head shakes, eyes glistening as she swallows and adds, "I want you to be my first," she presses a soft kiss to his lips, "and my last."

Their lips hover for only a moment more before he is surging forward and kissing her with everything he has, a guiding hand at the back of her neck as he lays her down once more and she wraps lean legs around his waist as he whispers, "I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be."

Her palm strokes over his cheek as she smiles softly up at him and replies, "Then show me, make love to me, Robin."


	49. Dance With Me

She hadn't wanted a great big affair. No extravagant churches or scenic gardens, no big white dresses or tuxedos. No chance of drunken guests spoiling the evening. She'd just wanted them, their little family all together with the addition of the Charmings and Granny to officiate. Henry had left his place beside Robin beneath the apple tree to meet his mother at the patio door, lacing their fingers instead of offering his arm.

Snow had hidden tears behind baby Neal, David's arm wrapped around her shoulders and holding her close whilst he'd swapped an amused look with Robin. Emma had grinned and elbowed Killian in the ribs when he'd made to wolf whistle teasingly at Regina's presence before she'd turned to smile a little teary eyed at the sight of Henry so grown up. Roland had remained beside Robin, fingers held loosely in his father's grip as he'd gasped, "Doesn't she look pretty, Papa!"

And she had. She'd looked absolutely breath taking in her dress in she'd glided slowly – and a little nervously – towards him.

He can't remember much of the ceremony, his mind having been completely taken over by the sight of his beautiful bride. They'd joined hands and let their fingers intertwine loosely as Granny had begun. Regina had blushed wonderfully when he'd – not so subtly – raked his gaze over her and smiled wetly when they were finally pronounced husband and wife.

The others had remained for an hour or two afterwards for celebratory drinks and a slice of cake before they'd all taken their leave. Roland and Henry had been excited to stay over at Emma's and go fishing tomorrow morning so the goodbyes came a little easier and now, here they were. Husband and wife, smiling widely at one another in the silence of the kitchen, lit only by the dim light of the fridge.

She wore only his white shirt, her toned legs and dainty feet left bare as well as her beautiful face.

"God, I love you."

Her grin only grew around the fork she had in her mouth, remaining even as she chewed and swallowed the cake before she replied, "I love you, too."

He held out a hand, "Dance with me?" pulling a soft laugh from her as she watched him for a long moment before turning to put down her plate and accepting his request.

"I'd love to."


	50. Worthy

He eyes her curiously for a long moment, taken aback by her deduction of their past but not surprised in the least - she never was one for feelings. But the difference is, he doesn't want her for sex and sex alone. Has never wanted her simply for that. "And if I say that I'm still in love with you?"

She scoffed a bitter laugh, "Then I'd say you're even more of a fool than I'd remembered you as." Her arms shift to fold over her chest, tightly, holding herself as she explains, "I was different back then. Thought I had the whole world waiting for me and not…"

"Not what your mother forced upon you." His heart had shattered when he'd read the article not long after graduation, when his eyes had scrolled down to the 'happy' couple dressed in their wedding garb and had settled upon Regina's face. He'd always been able to see through her defences, even through the lens of a camera.

"Yes, well," she responds sharply - he's hit quite the nerve it seems - "that marriage gave me my son and without him, nothing else could ever compare."

"I agree wholeheartedly with you, Regina," he responds easily thinking of Roland, "but what if I could show you that there is more to experience? What if I could restore your faith in love and what it is supposed to feel like?"

She lifts a sceptical eyebrow as she reaches for her coffee and takes a sip of the bitter brew - it's not the best of quality but it'd been the closest place when they'd bumped into one another on the street - "I wouldn't believe you."

"But would you allow me to try?"

"Why would you even want to?" she asks exasperatedly and he can still hear that hint of self-deprecation that she\d never quite been able to rid herself of.

He shrugs, taking a sip from his tea before looking her straight in the eye and replying, "Because it's you and you, Regina Mills, are worth trying for."


	51. Recovery

**Minor (unestablished) character death – based on the song Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran**

The flight over is easy enough, the change in temperature not so much. Her heart clenches in her chest when Robin's arm drapes over her shoulders without a word shared between them because, even in his unimaginable grief, he thinks of her first. She squeezes in closer with an arm around his waist in return and a gentle hand over his heart as she leans her head against his shoulder and watches as the luggage carousel kicks into gear.

Will greets them outside with a quick hug and a peck on the cheek for her and a tight embrace for his beloved cousin. "We'll get through it mate," he whispers - a promise for them both as Regina swallows against the thick lump in her throat that just won't go.

He falls asleep with his head in her lap in the car on the way home after a gentle coaxing to rest his sore eyes and her soothing fingers stroking through his hair.

She catches Will's eye in the wing mirror and smiles sadly at his reflection, his eyes just as red as her boyfriend's.

They offer brief but grateful greetings to those still awake when they arrive - Robin almost breaks when he finds John had made the trip over already without telling him, sitting proudly in Robin's childhood home awaiting his arrival - but it isn't long before he's making their excuses and they take themselves up to Robin's old room to settle in for the night.

It's barely bigger than a single but it's more than enough for the both of them with the way they cling to one another. Again, it's Robin that drifts off before Regina does, as exhausted as he is, whilst she remains conscious for long moments afterwards holding him close and pressing kisses to the crown of his head.

She's not sure how long it is before she's following him into a dreamless sleep.

Their fingers remain laced throughout the entire ceremony once Robin takes his place beside her having carried his mother's casket into the church - a single lily lays atop the polished wood - she squeezes his hand the moment he sits, an unspoken I'm right here that he answers with a squeeze of his own as the priest begins the ceremony.

They're of Catholic faith, the Locksley clan, and so hymns are sung and beautiful readings are given by family members and friends alike and then it's Robin's turn to speak.

He begins with the kindness of Rose Locksley and her unconditional love, love that had stretched to Regina from the very first moment Robin had brought her over to England for a visit and every time after. He talks of her warmth and humour, shares a handful of stories that pull soft laughter from the church packed full of people before he utters one last heartfelt declaration directed at the woman so very missed already, the very same thing Regina knows is to be carved on her headstone.

"You were an angel in the shape of my Mum."

It's two months later, when smiling isn't as hard for him, when he wakes without breaking the moment his eyes open that Robin proposes to her with the ring his mother had left to him.

"She tried to give this to me after that first time," he whispers into the small space between them on the bed, no fanfare, no great set-up, just the two of them basking in the warmth of the morning light and each other. "She pulled me aside before we left and told me to hang onto you for the rest of my life because you were the one for me and, of course," he chuckles softly, "she was right. You are the one for me, Regina."

They marry in England in his mother's church three months after that in front of their friends and families. It's a simple affair filled with happiness and with love and when their joined hands are lit by a ray of sun filtering in through the stained glass behind the priest, Regina's heart soars at the sight of the smile on her beloved's face as he whispers, "Hi, Mum," and slides the wedding ring onto Regina's finger.


	52. Found

**Runaway!Queen AU**

She flinches when he presses the damp cloth to her feet, dirtied and bloodied, a crease between her brows that only deepens when he lifts his eyes and apologises for hurting her.

"I just need to clean them," he explains gently, still cupping her heel in his palm as he pulls the cloth away for a moment, "to prevent infection." When she only continues to eye him warily, dark eyes frightened as they move between his own, he offers, "I can fetch another to do it if you so wish, the last thing I wish to cause you is any more fear or pain, milady."

She blinks and he thinks he catches a flicker of surprise before those dark depths drop to the foot still in his hand as she manages a quiet, "It's okay."

He smiles gently - encouragingly, he hopes - before looking back to his task, taking even more care this time as he begins cleaning dry earth and blood from her feet.

She pulls the thick blanket tighter around her lithe frame, winces when it rubs against the marks he'd already seen hours earlier having found her beaten and bloodied beneath a thick bush. He knows not who she is yet, she'd only woken a few moments ago dazed and afraid and he won't push for the answer because it is her own to give and to give freely.

Still, he wants to assure her, "For as long as you need me to, I'll stay right here."

Her eyes lift once more, that frown growing thoughtful, curious even beneath her guard as she gives the most gentle of nods.

"You're not alone, okay? I'm here."

Again, she nods and it settles something within him to see her breath leave her lungs a little easier. It's not progress by any means but, he thinks as he lowers a newly cleaned foot and waits for her to place the other in his open palm, it's a start.


	53. Breakfast

**M-Rated**

He groans the minute he sees her, pulling her attention from the pancake batter she's stirring and gaining an infamous eye roll as she all but ignores him. Still, he can see the proud smirk pulling at the corner of her lips even from his place in the doorway. He loves that little smirk.

It's not a surprise to see her in such clothing - black yoga pants painted onto her toned legs, ending just below her knees with a pink stripe decorating either side from her hips to her shins and a cropped black top that sits just above her stomach - because pregnancy has turned her into an oven but it's a delight each and every time that he can't help but marvel at.

She's the most beautiful sight he thinks he's ever seen and especially so like this.

"I know you're pregnant with my twins," he greets in a gruff voice that he can't seem to shake these days with Regina looking as she does every day, "but that doesn't change the fact you're still sexy as hell."

"Thank you for the early morning ego boost," she replies, feigning indifference despite the pink hue that's colouring her cheeks, "now pass me the strawberries from the fridge."

He grins, letting his fingers tickle across the small of her bare back as he goes and revelling in the shiver she tries to suppress - pregnancy has also turned her into something of a hot mess when it comes to sex, her sensitivity wonderfully heightened to a point where they have to wait for the boys to leave the house entirely before they partake in any such activities lest Regina's keening scar them for life. "Here you are, my love."

She exhales heavily when he sidles on up behind her, slipping the tub of strawberries onto the counter beside the mixing bowl before wrapping his arms around her and allowing his palms to curl around the curve of her stomach. "What are you doing?" she asks, voice trembling slightly as he drops his head and mouths kisses down the slope of her neck and over her shoulder.

"Saying good morning to my girls," he replies as innocently as he's able to.

"You haven't shaved this morning," the mixing spoon has all but slipped from her lax fingers and is sinking into the thick batter as her head falls back to rest on his shoulder, body practically vibrating against him.

"It must have slipped my mind." He doesn't even try for innocence this time because he knows what it does to her, his unshaven jaw dragging over her delicate skin. "Why? Is it bothering you?"

"Fuck you, asshole," she breathes without heat, hips undulating back against him, rubbing that delectable rear against the semi he'd awoken to.

"Is that a promise?" he asks huskily, one of his hands slipping up to gently cup her sensitive breast as the other begins a slow trail down over her stomach until his fingers find the waistband of her yoga pants and slip beneath.

"The boys…"

"Will be fast asleep until nine, at the very _least_ ," he finishes for her, thrilled to find that she'd forgone panties this morning as his hands slip over her smooth skin and find her slippery to the touch. He groans into her neck as he delves a finger through her sodden folds and circles her clit briefly before he searches for her soaked opening, dipping that same finger into her and curling it up the way she likes.

"Fuck…" she exhales on a shuddered breath, a hand lifting to grab at the hand still massaging her breast, guiding it down enough to lead it back up beneath her top and filling his hand with the softness of her. She bucks into his hand when he sweeps his thumb over her already pebbled nipple and sinks a second finger into her.

"You are so fucking gorgeous," he growls into her neck, sucking a kiss there that isn't hard enough to leave a mark but that has her legs buckling slightly. "I love you _so_ much."

"Oh God," her brow furrows as his palm settles more directly over her clit, each rock of his hand pushing her closer and closer to the edge, "Robin - I-"

"Just feel, my love," he lifts his head to whisper, watching her lashes flutter against her cheeks as she tries - and fails - to suppress her needy moans, her body pushing and pulling against the waves of pleasure radiating through her. She's getting close, he can feel the way her walls are tightening around his fingers - one of his favourite feelings - and he loves that she turns her head so that he's able to watch her fighting against the urge to scream out, expression tight as she chases her peak.

"Kiss me," she manages on a breathy whine, "now, Robin…" she grits out through her teeth, "kiss me."

He licks his lips, hard as sin against her gorgeous arse now as he rocks into her and ups the pace of his fingers before swallowing her growing cries with a desperate kiss.

Her free hand lifts to claw at the back of his neck, keeping his head in place as she dips her tongue into his mouth and takes and takes and _takes_.

When she comes, it is with a muffled scream that he hopes is too quiet for their sons to hear as her body jerks and trembles in his arms. He holds her up, slipping his fingers from her once he's helped her through her orgasm and cupping her sodden mound as she tries to fill her lungs with breath that she just can't seem to find. He can't help it though, once she's calmed enough and regained her balance, he slips his hand from her pants - leaves the other to affectionately massage her swollen breast - and lifts his damp fingers to his lips, moaning at the taste of her on his tongue.

"You'll ruin your breakfast," she manages on a breathy whisper that pulls a deep and rumbling chuckle from his chest that vibrates against her back.

"God, I love you."


	54. True Love

Her head is bowed when he enters, eyes on the hands in her lap - the engagement ring glittering beautifully on her finger specifically - and so she doesn't see the the look of absolute awe that crosses over his face, that stills him completely in the doorway until he speaks.

"You're…" her head snaps up, eyes going wide in her reflection as she spots him in the mirror, "fuck…"

She rises quickly from the chair, dashing from her dressing table to hide behind the open closet door with just her head visible. "What are you doing in here!?" There's no anger in her tone, just surprise and, he thinks, a hint of worry because she's nothing if not superstitious.

"I know I'm not supposed to see you till you walk down the aisle," he begins, stepping further into the room, adoration growing with the way she pulls the door against her a little tighter, "but baby…" his eyes are shining with it as he lets loose a breath of wondrous laughter, "I just needed to tell you I love you."

She blinks, a shadow of a frown creasing her forehead because she knows he loves her. Of course she does.

"And I know you already know that," he continues without moving any further towards her because they'll have their whole lives to hold one another but they'll never get this moment again. This excitement before they take the ultimate leap and he wants to savour it, wants her to remember it fondly. "But what I also know is that you will never understand nor will you ever fully believe how lucky I consider myself to hold your heart and have you hold mine in return. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Regina. Despite what you may think, despite the time we spent apart, I regret absolutely none of it because it only made us stronger."

"You are my heart, my world and my soul mate and I cannot wait to stand proudly at that altar with you by my side. We don't need marriage to justify what we are to one another and I know the very thought of it once terrified you having been through what you have but still here you stand," he chuckles wetly, "looking as devastatingly beautiful as you do, ready to marry me. I can't thank you enough for coming to find me in the forest that night and for doing what I was too afraid to do. You are the bravest person I know and I just needed you to know that."

A single tear runs down from her eye over her cheek as she begins to slowly straighten up before she emerges from behind the closet door and crosses the distance between them to take his face between her palms, pulling his mouth to her own in a sweet and lingering kiss. Her forehead is heavy against his own, breath hot as it washes over his lips in a quiet laugh as she asks, "Aren't you supposed to save your vows for the ceremony?"

He laughs with her, can't help it as his hands lift to rest upon the small of her back as he tilts his chin up to press a kiss to her forehead and replies, "Don't you worry about my vows, I have them covered."

She grins with eyes still closed as she loops her arms around his neck and basks in his closeness for a few moments more before she whispers, "I'd get out of here before Snow returns, if I were you."

"She doesn't scare me," he teases but begins to step back from her all the same with a deep dimpled grin as he asks, "meet you downstairs?"

"I'll be the one in the dress," she replies amusedly, watching as he backs out of the room with butterflies taking flight in her stomach. The truth is, she'd been nervous about today having not seen her thief since the previous afternoon - Snow's orders - but still, somehow, he'd known just what she'd needed. And now, well, now she can't wait to feel the cold metal of their rings pressed together as they stand before friends and family alike, proud to be joined to one another forever.


	55. A Little Friendly Help

He finds her in their shared kitchen, sat atop a stool and cursing at her laptop screen as she scribbles furiously on the pad she has on the island and he can't help but chuckle at the sight of her.

She's in her PJs, fluffy white bootie slippers on her feet and hair piled on top of her head in something of a messy bun. Adorable. But his amusement doesn't last for long when she, quite suddenly, slams her pen down against the pad of paper and drops her head into her hands.

"Everything okay?"

She startles in her seat, turning to face him with bloodshot eyes and an expression that reads pure exhaustion. She sighs heavily and he awaits her usual ire but instead is left surprised when she replies with a weary, "No."

He moves further into the kitchen, pushing his desire for food to the back of his mind as he rounds the counter so that he stands opposite her. His eyes fall to the pad, able to make out the scribbled sums there and asks, "Anything I can help with?" and when she looks as though she's about to reject his offer, he adds, "I'm not too bad with math. I'm not Stephen Hawking by any means but I get by…"

Dark eyes register surprise first and then, thankfully, a little spark of hope appears as she frowns and asks, "You'd help me?"

"Of course," Robin replies without hesitation.

"But I'm awful to you."

"Not in the slightest," he shakes his head as he returns to her side of the counter and pulls up a stool beside her, "besides," he shrugs, "I rather like your fiery side." And before she can even think to reply, he encourages, "Now, let's get this solved shall we?"

Her answering smile, no matter how small, makes it more than worth it.


	56. More Than Just Friends

**Missing Year AU**

"Why do you always have to leave so quickly afterwards?"

She scoffed, throwing him an incredulous look over her shoulder before bending to take her dress from the stone floor. "What reason is there to stay?" and then, because Merlin forbid she leave him unscathed for asking something so reasonable, she turns with luxurious velvet covering her chest - he knows not why for he's mapped and savoured every inch of her glorious body already - and a mock pout on her pretty lips before asking, "to cuddle?"

"You are insufferable," he replied with a shake of his head and frustration colouring his tone.

"And yet you seemingly wish me to remain in your company."

"I like talking with you," he shrugged, "when you're not trying to set me alight with your words alone. Is that such a terrible thing?"

She rolled her dark eyes as she stepped into her dress and began sliding it up her bare body, forgoing her corset and underthings for the short walk back to her chambers. No one would see her at this hour, propriety mattered not. "Don't pretend we're friends, Thief."

"I wouldn't deign to label us as something so uncomplicated, Your Majesty," he replied without missing a beat, pulling her razor sharp gaze to his as he continued steadily, "because we both know that we are far more than just 'friends'."

She stood with her lips parted and eyes wide, still in mid-dress as he merely rolled onto his side and closed his eyes with sheets gathered at his hips.

"Do close the door as you rush out of here."


	57. A Birthday Surprise

"Me next!" Roland cries the moment Regina sets aside Snow's gift having thanked her, stumbling forward excitedly with the envelope held tightly in his grasp. Regina's smiling adoringly at him as Robin breathes a chuckle and shakes his head. He practically slams into her legs, earning a laughed, _"Slow down, sweetheart,"_ and a squeeze of affection to his upper arms before she lets go and allows him to fill her open hands with his gift. "Happy birthday, Regina."

"Thank you, my handsome little knight."

Excitement skitters through him as he looks to his papa, curiosity colouring his features - Roland had refused to divulge his plans for today to anyone but Henry - and then to the older boy, grinning in return before looking back at Regina as she began carefully opening the seal of the envelope.

"What have you been up to?" she feigns suspicion with a grin curling her lips as she begins pulling the papers inside free. Her eyes linger on his for a moment, so kind and warm and full of love, before they dropped to her lap once more and she began reading. Her "Oh my God," is breathy and almost muffled by the hand she lifts to cover her mouth as tears begin filling her eyes.

"Why is she crying?" Roland asks, turning to Henry concernedly, his excitement fading away as nerves tickle at his tummy, "I didn't mean to make her cry!"

But Henry is still smiling as he shakes his head and explains, "She's crying because she's happy, Roland." And then, when the younger boy merely frowns in confusion at him, he nods towards Regina and encourages, "Look."

His papa is stood behind Regina now, eyes on the paper and a tearful grin on his face as he rubs her shoulders but she's looking at him again and this time he can see what Henry means. She's not sad, not at all.

"Are you certain this is what you want, Roland?" she asks, slipping from Robin's touch and coming to kneel on the floor before him, taking both of his hands in her own.

He nods, "And even though peanut can't speak yet," he's yet to call his sister by her name having latched on rather amusedly to her nickname, "I know she would want it too." And then, because in the end, it's her final decision, "Do you, Regina?"

She nods just as quickly as he had as more tears fall from her eyes. "I want nothing more than to be your Mother, Roland."

He falls easily into her embrace and hugs her fiercely. He'll tell her in a little while that she's always been his Mama, no doubt about that, but that this just makes it official.


	58. Partners

**Dirty Dancing AU**

"And out of everyone here tonight, you picked me?"

"Yeah," she shrugs, feigning disinterest despite the not so subtle plea in those lovely dark eyes, "well, you managed it well enough in the club the other night so let's see how you do with a crowd."

He swallows then, suddenly nervous because she actually _wants_ him to say yes despite her practically pristine reputation as the lead dancer here and he knows everyone's eyes will be on them.

"Unless you're afraid, that is."

And he knows what she's doing, challenging his ego in a way that she knows will work and, despite the alarm bells ringing in his ears, fool that he is he says yes and takes her hand.


	59. Pregnant

"You're-" the glass fell from his hand and shattered over the kitchen tile as everything seemed to run quiet around them, everything except the _thud, thud, thud_ of his heart as he tried to process her words.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, "I'm pregnant, Robin," unable to stop now she'd finally said it,  
it seemed. "I'm having a baby," her breath of laughter was thick with emotion as she watched him step over the broken glass, moving closer to her, "we're having a baby."

His lips began curling slowly as his hands found her hips and his eyes dropped to her flat stomach, "Is this real?"

All she could do was nod in reply and sob with happiness as he pulled her into him and held her close, his own tears dampening her neck though neither had room to do anything other than simply rejoice together.


	60. Lost Time

She's not drunk enough to blame this on anything other than her foolish and traitorous heart, not as she presses herself closer in when his hand finds the small of her back. He smells good, really good, better than her memory had served and it's impossible not to skim her nose along the slope of his neck as her arms loop beneath his and bend upwards to curl her palms over his shoulders. It feels good being this close to him again.

His head is bowed, curled in towards hers as they continue in their slow circle and his lips are pressed to her cheekbone. Not kissing, just resting but the contact is almost as electrifying as the hand he has stroking over her back. They shouldn't be doing this. It's confusing and it's only going to hurt her in the end because nothing has changed. She can't give him what he wants, can't give him what he deserves.

He's never outright said that he wanted a child but when she'd told him of her infertility, she'd seen it clear as day in his eyes. Disappointment. She'd never hated herself more and, as time had gone on, that self-loathing had formed a distance between them. An invisible barrier that she just hadn't been able to break down.

When Mary Margaret had _insisted_ that she not miss her birthday party - for how could she, even if Robin was one of David's closest friends - Regina had made a vow that she would keep her distance from him. But then he'd found her in the gardens with a whiskey glass clutched tight in her palm and had lulled her back into him with warm memories and a longing that burned bright in the pit of her stomach.

He's tried, hundreds of times in the past three months, to get in contact with her. To talk about what had happened between them, to work through it but she'd rejected him every single time with the heaviest of hearts because he deserves so much better than her. So, so much better.

Still, when the music had changed - their song playing through the speakers - she'd allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor and pull her in close and, well…she was a goner.

His face turns a little further into hers, nudging, encouraging her to look up at him when he pulls back enough to allow her to do so and _oh_ , there it is. There's that little gleam that she absolutely adores twinkling in his eyes beneath the disco lights.

He smiles softly, hands finding her arms and trailing down slowly to curl palms around her elbows and bring her arms down to take her hand, pulling a laugh of surprise from her as he spins her out from him in a practised move. That smile turns into a grin as she shakes her head at him - the idiot, her idiot - before he's spinning her back in and wrapping arms around her waist, pressing himself into her back and stealing her breath all over again.

Regina's eyes flutter closed as she leans her cheek against his and absorbs every single second because she'd almost forgotten how safe she feels in his arms, how loved. It's addictive to one who never quite knew the feeling until he came around and when he whispers, "I am still so in love with you," softly into her ear, she feels as though everything else floats away and it's just them. Just her turning slowly in his arms, tears welling and falling from her eyes when she finds he too has a shimmering track upon his cheek.

She lifts a hand to cup his cheek as she swallows thickly and runs her thumb through that line, brow furrowing with the force of emotion in her throat.

His hands find the small of her back once more and encourage her closer once more, their cheeks pressing together as she moves to link those arms around his neck and hugs him tight to her because she's an idiot for ever thinking that she could go without him. "Please, come back to me, Regina."

She's not quite sure who begins moving first, doesn't care to think as their mouths find home in one another in a kiss that has her heart stuttering in her chest because this wasn't what was supposed to happen tonight…she's quite sure it wasn't but then their part for a long second, eyes finding one another's, searching for an answer they already know because it was supposed to happen. "We were always supposed to happen," she breathes against his lips, fingers clutching just as tightly as his before they lose themselves in another kiss.

They have a lot to work through once morning comes but for now, both of them are happy simply to hold one another close and make up for the time they'd lost.


	61. Misunderstandings

It was a little strange, padding softly into her childhood room to find Robin tucked beneath the covers with his back to her. It was strange but it settled something within her - he was still here.

She'd volunteered to tuck Henry up in bed whilst Emma had said her goodbyes to her friends, had wanted to give Robin some space after their heated exchange downstairs because she knows she's being irrational and a class A bitch but she hadn't been able to help it, not when she'd caught sight of him hidden away in a back room with her best friend.

She trusted both of them…or, at least, her heart did. Her head though, that was a different story.

They hadn't been doing anything, had only been speaking in hushed whispers but flashes of different but rather similar circumstances had played through her mind like a reel of film; Mal's number flashing up on his phone screen, the pair of them being suddenly 'busy' on the very same days she'd asked each of them and then this evening…

That with the added buzz of alcohol she'd consumed - a birthday party at her father's home filled with friends she hadn't truly seen in years - and it'd felt as though everything had come crashing down on her.

He'd looked so hurt when she'd brought it up, hurt and disappointed in her.

His breathing was deep, his back rising and falling slowly. She swallowed thickly, tears stinging at her eyes because she was sure, even without a word from him, that she'd gotten it completely wrong.

The bed dipped gently with her weight as she crawled beneath the covers beside him, her guilt only doubling at the realisation that he'd made sure to flip on her bedside lamp before rolling over to sleep - he'd always been that way, in all of the eight months that they'd been together; kind, considerate and completely wonderful.

"I'm sorry, Robin…" she whispered quietly, a tear falling to wet her cheek as she sniffled softly. He wouldn't hear her, her confession would be useless until the morning but she had to get it out lest the words choke her in her sleep. "I'm sorry for my ridiculous accusations, you don't deserve any of them…I just-" she hiccuped softly, swiping a hand beneath her nose before continuing, "I was terrified that I was losing you."

"Daniel left me for my sister," she confided, eyes on her hands in her lap. She'd told him of her fiancé, her 'first love' and of how he'd broken her heart. She'd never told him how though. "I didn't even know I had a sister until a year before and we'd only met once or twice but then, one day, I invited her to the house to meet Daniel and to try and, I don't know," she laughed mirthlessly, "make up a little for the time our mother had taken from us." Her head shook as she swallowed down the bile at the memory of it all, "We'd had a few drinks that night, gotten a little merry together and me being the lightweight that I am," she so wished he was awake to tease her for it, to pull a laugh from her and tell her it was okay, "I had to take myself up and off to bed before they were ready to stop with the party."

"I needed a glass of water in the night and, I guess still being drunk and half asleep," she shrugged, "I didn't even notice that Daniel wasn't next to me in our bed." She picked at the loose thread of her quilt cover, "I only realised why when I walked in on them on our living room couch."

"He told me he was sorry, that he'd never meant to hurt me but that Zelena made him feel 'alive' in ways that I never could." She shook her head, "He came to get his stuff two days later," and then, "she was wearing the same ring that he'd taken from my finger only four weeks after that."

"I'm sorry, Regina."

She startled at the sound of his voice, looking up to find that he'd rolled over to face her - no trace of sleep in those kind blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that but," his eyes were bright with sincerity, "you have to know that I would never do that to you."

"My sober, sane mind knows that," she laughed without humour, "I trust you with everything that I am, Robin. You're nothing like he was but…"

He shuffled up the bed so that his back was resting against the headrest, his hands only just out of reach of her own. She wouldn't push though, not with how she'd treated him tonight.

She let loose a shuddered sigh, no sense in keeping anything from him now, "I love you so much more than I ever loved him and that whole thing," she shook her head as more tears broke free, "it broke me, Robin." Her chin trembled as she confessed quietly, "I wouldn't survive it if you left, I know I wouldn't."

It was Robin that reached for her hands then, shuffling closer to get a good grip on them before tugging her closer and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. Their foreheads tilted as they parted, resting upon one another. "I love you with absolutely everything that I have, Regina." He squeezed her hands reassuringly, "Nothing and no one could ever change that and certainly not Mal."

"I know, I just…" she trailed off quietly, vulnerably, "I hadn't realised the two of you were so close."

"We aren't," Robin chuckled softly, his eyes on their joined hands, "she was just…helping me with something."

"With what?" Her brow was furrowed. Mal was a lawyer, Robin was the owner and leader of a summer camp in the warmer months and a youth club for the rest of the year. "Was it something to do with the club? Or the camp? Are you in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that," he assured her, eyes lifting and smile warming as they traced over her features creased with concern, "it was something to do with you, actually."

That surprised her, "With me?"

"Yes," he chuckled, leaning away from her for a moment to fumble about with something out of her sight - his pants, if the clanging of his belt on the laminate floor was anything to go by - before he sat back up, facing her.

All air left her lungs as her eyes fell to the deep red velvet box clutched gently in his hands. "Robin…" she breathed after a long and silent moment, tears instantly stinging at her eyes, "what are you-"

"I've spent week after week plotting and planning the perfect moment to do this, Regina.' He shook his head, dropping his eyes to the box before finding her watery gaze once more, "Every possible scenario, every little cliche but none of them fit because my love for you isn't a spectacle to be watched by others, we're no great fairytale set to end once I slip the ring onto your finger."

"We won't ride off into the sunset together nor will all of our problems disappear the moment we say 'I do' because that's not how we work." He lifted her hand, trembling in his hold, to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers before holding it in his lap once more and continuing, "We are real. We fight, we argue, we act like complete idiots because we love each other, because you're my dearest friend and I know that I am yours. I don't want some perfect little Stepford housewife," he shook his head, "I want you, Regina."

"The you that wakes me up in the middle of the night searching desperately for the covers because of your proclivity to steal them all," he chuckled with her, lifting a hand to her cheek and rubbing his thumb across her cheekbone even as he continued, "and the you that dances about the kitchen when she's cooking just to make my son laugh when he's having a bad day. I want the you that tucks yourself up tight with your boy on the nights that I can't comfort you in the way you need. I want the bedhead, the morning breath, the freezing cold toes, the temper tantrums, the wicked humour, the naughty little temptress, the incredible mother and my best friend."

"I know that mere words aren't going to mend your battered heart but I'd like to hope that, perhaps, you'll give me the time to prove myself and my love for you. That you'll give me the time to prove that I could never want another."

Her tears were falling thick and fast now even as she beamed at him, blinking away the drops when he began opening the red velvet box slowly to reveal the most beautifully simple diamond ring she'd ever laid eyes upon. "Just how much time were you thinking?" she manages through a tight throat, biting at her bottom lip to keep from sobbing when he chuckled just as wetly as she.

"How about the rest of our lives?"


	62. Confession

He glances from the road, into the rearview mirror and back to the road as often as he can, worrying at his bottom lip as he does because she is in no fit state to be going into class today with the fever he knows is burning at her skin. She's nothing if not stubborn though, especially when it comes to her perfect attendance and work ethic and he understands it having experienced the stifling presence of her mother first hand on a few occasions now but she's only going to make herself sicker than she already is.

He's debated locking her away in her room, only opening the door to check on her and bringing her home flu remedies until she's better but she'll never forgive him if he does and so, he drives.

Six months he's known her now, six months of living in the dorm opposite one another. They'd started at awkward 'hello's on the occasions that they'd run into one another, had moved onto small talk in the tiny corridor that led from the stairs to their dorms and then to Monday morning lifts to the other campus so that Regina could make her class on time without having to rely on the bus.

He still hasn't confessed that he actually has no need for early morning starts on Mondays, that his first class of the day actually begins in the afternoon because he knows she'll make him stop driving her and the thought of losing these mornings - the very thing he spends his weekends looking forward to - is unbearable.

It's how they've grown so close, these mornings, and he treasures each and every one of them just as he treasures her.

Normally, they'll talk of whatever comes to mind, of things that've happened in the gaps between their time spent together. Occasionally they'll reveal more of their past to one another. It comes in dribs and drabs, just little snippets that further add to their ever growing relationship.

Today though, she is in no fit state for conversation.

She's finally succumbed to medicine this morning, has stuffed herself full of syrups and flu pills in the hopes that it'll help her fight this virus quicker and he's sure it will once her body has grown used to them but it's barely been an hour and her eyes are half-lidded at best. How she thinks she'll be able to take anything in today is beyond him.

A muffled wheeze pulls him out of his worrying and has him glancing in the mirror once more, frowning when he finds her eyes still closed and so, just to make sure, he asks, "Did you say something?"

"I said," she tries again, voice only audible on every other syllable as her brow furrows with the effort it takes both to speak and to swallow - her tonsils are swollen and her nose is bright red - "I'm glad I have you."

He blinks.

"I've never really had anyone before," her words are a little clearer the more she speaks but her voice sounds so low and raspy, her throat terribly sore, "no one that cares anyway."

He moves to tell her not to be silly and that she'll always have him but she manages one more slurred sentence that has his eyes widening and heart almost stopping.

"It helps that you're really hot too…" and that last word is dragged out as she succumbs to her exhaustion and leaves Robin to stare open-mouthed at the road, then her, and back again because how the hell is he supposed to process that?

He calls her name softly, tentatively when he is able to think properly but it's to no avail. She's sleeping the slumber of the sick, no doubt out cold for a few hours at the very least and he can't help but smile now at the sight of her in the back, laid out across the seats and looking as beautiful as ever in his eyes. She won't be going to class today, that's for certain.

If he should remind her of her little confession when she's lucid, well, that's a different story altogether.


	63. Crush

It's busy tonight, busier than usual but she supposes it is payday and with spring slowly fading into summer, people are coming out to play more often - including Aidan McCartney.

He's a British ex-pat having moved to America - Seattle in particular - almost ten years ago now after falling for his late wife, Marian, who he'd met when she'd visited London that same summer. He'd told her that it'd been something of a whirlwind romance and that really, they'd both been rather foolish to have committed to something so seriously so soon.

They'd stayed together for a year or so before realising that it just wasn't meant to be and so, they'd gone their separate ways - something Roni isn't going to apologise for being grateful for. He's the first man in a very long time that she's felt any kind of interest in. He's smart, funny, ruggedly handsome and kind. Though, she can tell there's a fire in him that matches her own.

Her heart flutters the moment she spots him through the crowd, making his way towards the bar with those dimples denting his cheeks as he slips through the revellers celebrating the beginning of another weekend. He's wearing the charcoal shirt that she loves the look of him in and she can't help but bite her bottom lip in anticipation as she folds her arms across her chest and keeps watching his approach.

"May I have a word?" he asks the moment his palms touch the bar top, his request loud enough that Rachel throws Roni a knowing eye roll before she nods and promises to keep an eye on things for a few minutes. It stills Roni for a moment - she's always been rather private about her life, only offering advice should any of her girls come to her with their dramas and never revealing too much so the knowledge that people may know about this thing between herself and Aidan…she doesn't quite know how to feel about it at first but then she turns her gaze upon him once more and feels her mind cloud over with a familiar fog.

Roni tilts her head towards the cellar and watches as he nods and makes his way around the bar and through the door to begin the descent into the chilled room. She follows behind, trying hard - not really - not to stare at his ass as he goes. "What did you want to-" he cuts her off with a kiss, swallowing her quiet yelp of surprise with his lips and lifting a hand to cradle her face, coaxing her to kiss him back with a thumb stroking softly over the hinge of her jaw.

It's not the first kiss they've shared, not technically, but it's the first that she's allowed to continue with arms that wind around his neck to pull her closer to him as she tilts her head and moves to deepen the kiss.

He moans into her mouth when she slides her tongue along his own, his hand dropping from her face to her waist, squeezing and releasing gently in a way that has areas long since untouched by any hand but her own throbbing with need. They can't do this here though, not at her bar and so she pulls back and breathes a heated, "Slow down, tiger."

"I'm sorry." He's breathing just as raggedly as her, his eyes remaining closed when he tilts his forehead to rest against her own. "I've just wanted to do that since the other night." Her soft Me, too has those brilliant blue eyes opening as his lips curl into a tender smile and he asks, "Yeah?" that smile widening when she nods her confirmation. He ducks in to steal another heart fluttering, but chaste, kiss from her lips before he asks, "Can I take you out sometime? For dinner or to see a movie or something?"

"You want to take me out?" She's taken aback, endlessly surprised by this man who, up until three nights ago when he'd stayed behind to help her clear up and had stolen a kiss from her, she'd thought had absolutely no interest at all.

He frowns, pulls back enough for her to fully see the slight incredulity on his face before he replies, "You truly have no idea how wonderful you are, do you?"

Their next kiss, for how is she supposed to answer him with mere words, is heart achingly tender, lingers wonderfully on her lips when they pull apart once more though they remain close, sharing breath. "How does tomorrow night sound?"

His lips curve before he ducks in to kiss the corner of her mouth and whispers, "It sounds perfect."


	64. A Perfect Day

The sand is cooler now, night beginning to swallow the day as she makes her way over to where Robin is sitting on a log before the fire he'd made a few moments ago. She can hear the sound of the boys laughing, still playing behind her and it has her heart swelling. They get on so well, Roland and Henry. Far better than she could have ever hoped for.

Emma and Killian smile as they walk past her with fingers interlinked and a beachball tucked into the crook of the pirate's arm, the blonde's bump only just visible beneath the loose material of her simple white kaftan. No one but Robin and Regina know about the baby and Emma's asked for it to remain that way for just a little longer, until they know for sure that everything is okay.

Snow is going to be overjoyed and it's hard, keeping such a big thing from her former stepdaughter but it's Emma's secret to tell and so, Regina won't.

"Hello, beautiful," Robin greets the moment she's close enough, lifting the edge of the blanket and encouraging her to cuddle into his side when she sits beside him. She smiles at the kiss he presses to the top of her head once she's pressed in tight and lets loose a loving hum that she feels deep in her bones. It's not particularly chilly but after a day spent beneath the sun's rays, she finds herself shivering, glad when he wraps his arm and the blanket around her tighter. "Have you had a good day?"

"The best," she replies easily for it's the most fun she's had in the longest of times. "What about you?" she asks then because it's been a whole new experience for her thief and his boy having never been to a beach before, "Did it live up to your expectations?"

He chuckles softly and presses another kiss to her head before replying, "It's been a perfect day." And yes, she thinks as she allows her eyes to wander over their strange but wonderful little family, it has been just that.


	65. Grief

**Underworld AU**

Her heart is thumping hard in her chest, so hard she's surprised he can't hear it as they walk side by side through the graveyard. She passes her father's stone, managing the smallest of smiles at the sight of it broken in two and laying flat on the grass - she's sure her mother's looks just the same but she pushes that thought from her mind, she's said her goodbyes to her parents - startling a little when Robin's hand catches hers and he squeezes reassuringly at her fingers.

There are three possible outcomes to this and she's not quite sure which it is that she's hoping for.

Still, she walks on with Robin by her side, her frown deepening with every cracked stone that they come across. From what they've seen so far, she's not quite sure she has the strength of imagination to even begin to think of a place worse than this. She feels as though she hasn't taken a proper breath since they'd arrived here and though they were all practically dead on their feet - no pun intended in the slightest - sleep was a mere memory at this point.

The air tastes of ash and she's never quite hot enough nor is she ever cool enough. It's an awful humidity that has the hairs on her arms standing up constantly. She cannot wait until they are able to get out of here to the sweet relief of home.

Robin's gasp pulls her from her thoughts, has her wide-eyed and nauseas as she whips her head around to find his eyeline. Her stomach flips as he pulls her towards the stone, eyes tracing over the block capitals of Marian's name. It's broken cleanly in two and laying on a patch of grass.

His fingers slip from hers only when he reaches the stone and leans down to touch the harsh lettering. There are tears shining in his eyes but a gentle smile curling his lips when he lifts his hand to press a kiss to his fingertips before pressing them to the stone once more and standing.

She watches the deep breath he inhales, his eyes closing and head tipping back to bare his face to the faux Underbrooke sky as he takes another long moment.

He's had to say goodbye to Marian so many times - too many times.

Regina holds out a gloved hand when he begins making his way back to her, swiping away a stray tear and returning her sympathetic smile as he catches her hand once more.

"You okay?"

He nods, "She's at peace." He leans in to press a quick peck - more for comfort she thinks - to her lips and entwines their fingers before he tilts his head and encourages her forward.

Her heart is thumping harder the further they move through the graveyard, her eyes blearily scanning each new headstone they come across until all breath is pulled from her lungs and she lets loose an almost inhuman sound of grief because there it is…

 _Daniel Colter_

It's just as simple as Marian's was and it to is laying flat on the ground, broken clean in two from the bottom but her fingers tremble as she slips from Robin's grip and moves to kneel beside the stone, tracing her finger along the great crack that runs diagonally through it.

She isn't sure how long he leaves her to cry for but she finds she's grateful both for the space and for his instinct to comfort when Robin comes to kneel beside her with a palm curled around her shoulder.

"He was in so much pain," she whispers, shaking her head as tear drops dampen the hard stone and her chin trembles.

She'd told Robin of Daniel's resurrection once before, when he'd spoken of the pain of seeing Marian again to find out it never truly had been her and he'd listened greedily, desperate to share that hurt so she's unsurprised he remembers when he replies, "But you set him free, Regina."

She nods. It still hurts to see the effect Whale had on her first love but she finds comfort in the knowledge that he's gone on to a better place now and that, perhaps, she had something of a hand in that.


	66. A Sight to Behold

She startles slightly when two strong arms wrap around her waist, a warm chest pressing into her back, still not used to having someone around and certainly not so openly affectionate. Graham - not that she wanted to compare the Huntsman to Robin - had been cold and distant after they'd finished in their tryst, never once deigning to touch her the next morning should they have fallen asleep together but with Robin, it's as though he can't begin his day without having held her even if only for a moment.

"Good morning, beautiful," he rasps into her ear, smiling against the skin of her neck when she tilts her head back enough to rest upon his shoulder now that she knows it's him. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I always do next to you," she replies honestly and though nerves still tickle at the pit of her stomach whenever she's so open, so vulnerable with him, she finds it's becoming more and more of a natural thing to do. "Did you?"

He nods, lifting his head to press a kiss to her cheek before replying, "At least until I no longer felt you in my arms. I love waking up to you."

"I'm sorry," she laughs softly, needlessly because she knows he's not berating her, "but I worried that the boys were going to wake soon and I wanted to have breakfast started for them." She continues to stir the scrambled eggs over the low heat of the stove, "I don't know about Roland but Henry is almost completely useless until he's had something to eat."

Robin chuckles in her ear, sliding his palms over her abdomen softly, comfortingly as he replies, "Roland is quite the same, though I don't think they'll be rising any time soon."

"Oh?'

Her eyes narrow when she turns her head to find him grinning rather conspicuously, as though he knows something she doesn't. "Put those aside for a moment," he nods towards the eggs, "I think you might like to see this."

She does as he suggests with a frown gently creasing her forehead, switching off the burner and placing the pan of eggs towards the back of the stove - they'll be ruined by the time they return but if the boys are still lost in deep slumber, it's not too big a casualty - before she turns and takes the hand he holds out for her. She feels that wonderful connection between them thrum harder when he laces their fingers and leads her from the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Roland mustn't have felt as brave as he was implying last night," Robin begins to explain as they ascend the stairs slowly with Regina trailing just behind him, their fingers still entwined.

She'd worried, as they'd left the door to Roland's new room ajar with the toddler still staring at them with feigned defiance in his eyes - they'd asked if he'd rather sleep with them for the first few nights whilst he adjusted to sleeping in a new place but he'd exclaimed that he wanted to sleep in his own bed like a big boy - that he'd be scared during the night and be unable to find them in the maze that the corridors turned into when sunlight disappeared and, with the way Robin is talking, it seems she was right to. He doesn't seem entirely fazed by it, however and that has her a little confused and rather intrigued.

"I wanted to check in on him before I came to find you this morning," he continues as they reach the first floor, his voice lowering to just above a whisper as he waits for her to reach his side before moving forward once more. "I worried when I couldn't find him in his bed nor could I hear him downstairs with you, I was about to call out for you when I noticed something."

"Noticed what?" she asks, fully intrigued now by both his words and the soft smile curling at his lips as he nods in the direction of Henry's room without taking his eyes from her.

"Take a look, my darling."

She doesn't move for a short moment, just stares at him with that frown still creasing her forehead before she begins to move past him and towards Henry's room, left a little disappointed when her fingers slipped from his but caught completely off-guard when she reaches her son's doorway and looks inside.

He comes to stand behind her with arms wrapped around her waist once more as she gasps softly and lifts a hand to press her fingertips to her lips, eyes shining at the sight inside. "Looks like we were rather foolish to worry that they wouldn't get along."

She laughs wetly, her throat constricting with emotion as her eyes move from one sweet boy to the other.

They're not on Henry's bed for Henry's bed has been moved as far across to the other side of the room as she imagines two boys were able to push it without making too much noise. Instead, Henry's large quilt is folded over a tight string stretched from one corner of the room to the other, forming something of a triangular fortress. His mattress is beneath them with the quilt from Roland's room covering their sleeping bodies and between them lies a book, one of Henry's favorites growing up that she guesses her boy had read to Roland in order to help him sleep.

It is an absolutely beautiful sight that both she and Robin take all the time that they want to observe, eggs be damned.


	67. Under the Setting Sun

**TW: Murder**

There was no going back from here, not back to normality at least. Not now that she was a murderer.

There had been no other way - not that such a claim would matter when faced with a jury or, worse still, the damn Stepford Wives who would come swarming in the moment Leopold's body was discovered.

Divorce would have been too good for the bastard.

Now she and Henry were safe. Now she had the affirmation she'd needed that he couldn't come after them when she finally found the courage to flee.

It was remote, where she'd brought Leopold out to after slipping a cocktail of drugs into his nightcap before he'd arrived home from work. It was remote but it wasn't the middle of nowhere. They'd find him soon and it wouldn't take long for them to point the finger at her…if they could find her that was.

The bags were already in the back of the car, ready and waiting. She'd booked herself and Henry a few nights in a motel a good few hundred miles away in a tiny little town called Storybrooke - it was barely noticeable on the map and would hopefully give her a few months to ensure that Henry was looked after when they finally found her - and simply needed to pick him up from her friend Rose's house - her only friend.

With one last withering look at Leopold's pitiful body, she shook her head and climbed back into her car. Ready to do what she should've done years ago.


	68. Thunder and Lightning

**TW: Allusions to abuse**

The way it cuts through the darkness with its jagged fingers, streaking through the night with a great and imposing force. The thunder though, the thunder she hates.

It reminds her of nights spent trembling beneath the covers, sobbing silently into her pillow wishing for a father that was brave enough to love her and a mother human enough.

It reminds her of a bleeding tongue bitten over and over to keep from crying out in pain in the King's bedchambers, to keep from spitting hateful words at the child who'd smile too bright the next morning with absolutely no clue as to the fate she'd bestowed upon Regina.

Or, at least, it _had_ reminded her of those things.

Now it reminds her of tiny footfalls and a head of sleep-tousled hair that always seemed to find its way onto the pillow beside her own head during a thunderstorm.

 _It's just the sky saying hello, Mama!_ Henry would say.

Now it reminds her of two outlaws sitting on the back porch with eyes bright and smiles wide, remembering a place they'd once called home yet had left so easily to slot into their rightful places.

Now it reminds her of hot cocoa kisses and wandering hands, of stubble tickling over her skin like lightning across the night sky.

Now, it reminds her of home.


	69. And it Hurts With Every Heartbeat

**TW: major character death, organ donation.**

It was always going to be an emotional day, this one.

When they'd first gotten engaged - the boys had strategically slipped the ring into her purse, right next to the juice boxes they'd planned to ask for an hour into their family picnic - she'd been a wreck. Her first marriage hadn't been a happy one and she hadn't been quite over the "You deserve better than me," hump.

Then, after a while, happiness had taken the place of anxiety. He'd caught her numerous times unable to keep herself from smiling when her eyes fell to the diamond sitting snugly on her ring finger.

Mary Margaret had been insufferable, even by Robin's standards but her fussing had brought a confidence out in Regina. It was a confirmation - not that she'd needed one - that this was okay.

Planning had been surprisingly easy - Regina had wanted a simple ceremony in their backyard with only a few guests. Roland was to be the ring bearer and Henry was to walk her down the aisle - but then, their lives had been torn apart completely.

The hardest decision, after Henry's death, had been the use of his organs in order to save other lives and, though it'd been an awful decision to have to make, both Emma and Regina had agreed that donation would've been Henry's choice. It hadn't made it any easier though.

The driver of the car that had taken Henry's life had been three times over the limit on the morning it'd happened and had "died of natural causes" that night in custody - Robin hadn't questioned where Regina had been when she'd returned home late that night.

In the months after his death, Regina had closed in on herself completely. She'd lost weight, barely saw the light of day and had hardly said a word for the longest time. The only noises Robin really heard from her were in her sleep and never were they good noises. She'd whimper and sob into her pillow whilst lost in her dreams until he'd coax her gently into his arms and she'd burrow in close with nails biting at his skin, desperate to bring her boy back but without means to.

It'd been Scarlett's first word that had been the start of her healing. The simple call of 'Mama' from Robin's arms when he'd been checking on Regina one morning had pulled a small and sorrowful gasp from her but before he'd had the chance to soothe her pain, she'd held out her arms in a silent request for their daughter to fill them.

The next morning he'd woke to find her in the kitchen cooking them all breakfast, managing a small smile before she'd drawn strength from the feel of him pressed along her back with his arms around her waist.

It hadn't been smooth sailing since then and never would they get over the loss of Henry but, as he slowly makes his way up their stairs to find his bride to be, he feels a calm certainty wash over him.

She answers his knock with a soft "Come in," that he can't help but smile at as his stomach flips pleasantly. Her eyes are on her reflection as she needlessly readjusts her veil around her shoulders and so she doesn't realise it's him until a sharp gasp falls from his lips.

Dark eyes framed by even darker lashes find his through the mirror and widen.

"You're not supposed to be in here!" She scrambles to find cover, pulling open the closet door and standing behind it with only her gorgeous face showing. "What the hell are you-"

"You look beautiful."

"Robin," she intones with a little less heat, flustered by the way he's staring at her. "What's going on? The ceremony starts soon."

"I know, my love," he assures her gently, still absolutely stunned by her beauty. She's wearing minimal makeup, only little touches to accentuate her features with soft curls pinned up and away from her face, save for the few thin strands sweeping her shoulders and, despite the confusion in her eyes, he can see a warmth there too. She's happy. "I just need to introduce you to someone."

"Now!?"

"Trust me, sweetheart." He turns only his head to encourage his guest forward, smiling assuredly and turning back to Regina to tell her, "This is Jack."

She watches the stranger's approach, smiling politely as she comes out of hiding - manners ever present despite her confusion - and stands before them both, looking to Robin for an answer.

He swallows, heart picking up pace a little because he knows what's about to happen could go one of two ways and he's hoping for the more positive as he continues, "Jack was born with a congenital heart disease that became life-threatening a couple of years ago, his parents thought they were going to have to say goodbye to him until just last year."

Her eyes move from Robin, to Jack and back again, a little understanding bleeding into her gaze as her lips part gently.

"He received a donor heart that saved his life," he steps closer to her as he speaks, palms held out in an offering that she takes when she's close enough with hands that grip tight at his own and tremble in his grasp as her tears fill and fall from her eyes. "Henry saved his life, sweetheart."

"The heart of the truest believer…" she breathes as her chin trembles.

"I'm alive because of your son, Ma'am."

Her eyes move from Robin to Jack as he pulls a stethoscope out from his suit jacket and offers it to her with a smile of encouragement.

"I thought you'd want a piece of him here with you today," he explains tenderly, glad when a smile curls at her lips as she nods and squeezes his fingers before moving closer to their guest and putting the stethoscope on.

She gasps when she hears it, when she hears Henry's heart beating in Jack's body and he takes the hand she offers when she reaches back for him, standing steadfast behind her ready to catch her if she should fall.

They spend endless minutes stood in their room just listening until Mary Margaret appears with a watery smile in the doorway and asks if they're ready.

Regina's smile is both beaming and sorrowful as she nods because they'll never get over Henry's death. Never. But he knows, as he takes her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles, promising to meet her by the altar, that together they will learn to keep going.


	70. Dead

**Another take on Robin having come over with the first curse and being there for Regina's torture ordeal**

Greg is dead. Dead and lying face down in a puddle of his own blood, David had confirmed it when Robin had cried out for an answer as he'd carefully gathered a limp Regina in his arms, cradling her against his chest and whispering reassurances into her hair as he'd carried her from that dark, dark room.

Greg is dead but Tamara is not and he wants to help in the search for the woman but he can't leave Regina's side, can't let go of the warmth of her hand for fear that he'll never feel it again.

Greg is dead but Regina is not. She's yet to wake up but breath still fills her lungs and there is colour returning to her cheeks and the Blue Fairy - he didn't want to let her near her vulnerable form, doesn't trust the woman with what he knows of her but she'd been the lesser of two evils in the end - has told him that 'the Queen' will recover in her emotionless way before she'd disappeared downstairs to, no doubt, relay the information to an agitated Snow White.

Greg is dead and so is Tamara. The news comes from an ashen faced Emma. Neal is dead too, or at least lost to them forever and he feels a flare of anguish for the loss of a friend but Regina is still unconscious.

Death surrounds them. Smothering the town like a dark, dark cloak that won't lift. He's seen nothing of the outside world for days, knows that the bodies of Regina's torturers have been taken care of and he hadn't asked for the details because he does not care to know.

Henry sits with him most days, flanking Regina's other side with fingers laced and his expression heavy. He'd sobbed into Robin's shoulder one night, helpless against the sheer strength of his emotions as he'd berated himself for pushing her away for so long. Robin had held him tight and swallowed down his own despair at having done the very same the moment the curse had broken and his memories had returned.

Greg and Tamara are dead but Regina is not and on the eighth day, her eyes open.

Robin is sleeping fitfully with his chair pulled right up to her bed and his head by her legs. His hand holds hers and she frowns down at him for a moment, unsure of why he wouldn't be in the bed beside her. It isn't until she winces sharply, pain lancing through her when she attempts to move, that she remembers.

He wakes at the tug on his hand, blinking stupidly, drunk on exhaustion and quite sure that he'd dreamt of the movement until he hears her sharp breaths and shoots upwards with eyes suddenly wide and his heart pounding. "Regina?"

She's sobbing silently save for her breathing, her body shaking on the bed and chin trembling even as she bites at her lip, trying to keep strong even now.

"Oh, my love." His own eyes full as he stands and moves closer to her, apologising instantly when she startles at the feel of his hand on her arm but then she's shaking her head and lifting her arms, waiting for him to fill them.

She shifts as much as she is able on the bed, cringing at the pain all the while but ignores his pleas for her to stop and instead tugs him down onto the bed beside her, curling into him and taking great fistfuls of his shirt.

"I've got you," he whispers into her hair, pressing kisses to the crown of her head and holding her as carefully as he can. He's not sure when he falls asleep but he knows it's her deep and even breaths and the closeness of her that lulls him.

When he wakes an indeterminate amount of time later, the sky outside is dark but her eyes are darker as they look over his face. Her words come only when he's lifted a hand to play with the ends of her hair. "I need to take a shower."

He's been bathing her as best he could over the past week but he knows why she's telling him. She wants to physically wash her ordeal from her skin.

Robin has already rinsed the fragrant suds of shampoo from her hair and smoothed her favourite body wash over her skin when she turns and wraps her arms around his waist slowly, their toes touching as she rests her head on his shoulder and allows herself the comfort of his arms for a long moment. "I was so scared, Robin."

His heart aches terribly in his chest at her gentle confession. "He's dead," he lifts a palm to the back of her head, "he can't ever hurt you again."

She nods against his neck before she lifts her head and pulls back to look at him with eyes that fall to his lips after a long moment.

She doesn't have to ask, merely tilts her face up and closes her eyes when he lowers his head to capture her lips in a tender kiss that has her releasing a shuddered breath through her nose. "I'm sorry," he whispers when he pulls back, eyes full of concern as he asks, "are you sure you-"

Regina shakes her head and leans forward, bringing his lips back to her own with a hand at the back of his head and a silent plea for him to just give her this moment. And he does. He pours every ounce of his love into the kiss as he holds her gently, letting her control the pace, letting her decide when they were to stop. Just letting her be.


	71. Warm

**Angst - Major Character Death**

She stares and she stares and she stares the first time he does it. Catches her hand and laces their fingers before the fire without comment or fanfare. He's not holding it to comfort nor to protect and never to hold her back. He's doing it simply because he wants to. He wants to hold her hand.

And it's stupid really, the flush of gratitude and of pride she gets the first time he does it in public. Her hands are behind her back, curling into tight fists as Emma discusses taking Henry back to New York and it's so subtle, unseen by any of those sitting before them but he reaches for that clenched fist and curls his hand gently atop it - I'm here, it seems to say.

The townsfolk, some of them, most of them, stare as they walk down the street with fingers interlaced but she doesn't care because Marian was never Marian and this wonderful man is a part of her happy ending no matter what her wretched sister has in store for them. They're united and she is never letting him go again.

They're not quite warm, his fingers, when she grasps and grasps at his hand, begging him to come back despite having watched his soul fade into nothing before her eyes. His hand doesn't curl around hers the way it used to, the way it should and she only cries harder against his chest, uncaring of the sister now stood behind, crying her own tears for the man that did this.

She just wants him to hold her time, one last time.


	72. All These Little Things

She grins the moment his fingers touch hers, eyes opening to find him standing behind her, his smile just as affectionate, and relinquishes her hold on the hair-dryer. He does this often. When the children are sent off to school or to bed or to play, he'll seek her out.

He'll brush her hair at night before bed, help take her jewellery off with gentle fingers that stroke and caress as much as they do help. He'll undress and (not always) re-dress her in fresh pajamas for the night and she absolutely loves it because she knows why he's doing it. It's for no other reason than to be close to her.

She's just as bad.

He wears ties more often when they attend parties, still pretends he has absolutely no idea how to tie one despite knowing that she'll do it for him either way. She adores helping him shave, kissing the smooth skin of his neck with every other swipe and, more often than not, she's the one to style his hair of a morning with nimble fingers and an appraising eye.

They're hopelessly in love still and completely unapologetic for it.


	73. Time Stops - Part 1

They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. And that's true. What they don't tell you though, is just how quickly everything moves after they're gone. Days become weeks become months become years before you've even blinked and then, quite suddenly, you take a minute and you think…what the hell happened?

One minute I was sixteen, ducking out under the cover of night to spend a few more hours with my high school boyfriend without permission and the next I'm twenty-six, living in a humdrum town and working the night shift at my local shitshow of a bar just to get by.

It's not the life we'd planned, Robin and I.

We'd wanted to travel the world together, to visit every single wonder and then some and, when we felt we'd seen all that we needed to, we'd pick our favourite town, our favourite country to settle down in. He'd build us a home and we'd have a houseful of children - happy and healthy and loved.

But then he'd had to go back home to England and everything had gone back to normal, to the way it was because he'd filled my days with his presence.

I have to remind myself sometimes that I was only a kid when all that happened. That it wasn't love I'd been feeling for the simple fact that I still don't know what love is now - except for the love I feel for Henry. My son. Our son. My brown eyed, sandy-haired boy that reminds me so much of the father that doesn't even know of him that it hurts. He's the realist thing I've ever known.

But it's hard late at night, when kind blue eyes fill my dreams and the hazy memory of my days with him are all-consuming, to remember that I'd only known him for a little while and that such strong feelings were hard to have discovered in such a short amount of time.

Tonight though, when I hear the scraping of a chair against the wooden floor of the bar and turn with a forced smile to serve the next asshole drunk, my whole world is turned on it's head.

Time stops once more as I look upon the aged face of a boy I once knew and lose all sense of myself at his dimpled grin and his warm greeting of, "Hello, Regina."


	74. Time Stops - Part 2

Working in a shithole bar is bad enough but when the love of your life - I really need to stop thinking of him as that - walks into said bar and sends you into a goddamn anxiety attack, leaving you dry heaving over the rim of toilets in need of a good clean, you've just about hit rock bottom.

Add to that the fact that Robin - the boy, no, man, I have spent the last ten years thinking and fantasising about - is standing outside the door, asking if I'm okay and if he can come in. My day has most certainly taken a turn for the fucking terrible.

He's aged well. Really well and here's me, tinged green and absolutely mortified, trying not to cry and to breathe all at the same time.

I've thought about this moment so many times, of what he'd look like - he looks far better than I'd ever remembered or even imagined - and what he'd say - he'd sweep me off my feet and accept Henry with open arms, never questioning why I didn't call and tell him about his son - and never once had I pictured this scene.

I still have three hours left of my shift. Ruby can only cover for me for so long before Zelena casts her eyes over the CCTV in the office and finds I'm not where I should be and that is a headache I don't need. I'm already on my final warning as it is.

So, despite the nausea still rolling in my stomach - I'm swallowing the saliva pooling in my mouth as rapidly as I can, praying that I won't vomit again - I force my shaky legs to hold my weight and stumble over to the basin to swill my mouth with the coppery tanged water and stare resignedly at my pitiful reflection in the mirror.

Time to face the music, I suppose.


	75. Time Stops - Part 3

There are mints in the drawer under the cash register, thank god. They're Ruby's and usually I'd ask before taking but she's flirting up a storm at the end of the bar with her current flame and I can still taste the bitterness of bile on my tongue even as I avoid Robin's gaze.

I've barely said two words to him, how can I when the first thing out of my mouth should be something along the lines of, "We have a child together, by the way." Because, really, anything else is a lie if he doesn't know that, isn't it?

He smells good too. All woodsy and male, a far cry from the pitiful specimens that usually take up the bar stools. I probably smell like stale ale and sick. Not ideal.

"What can I get you?"

"The last ten years back?" He laughs, meaning it as a joke obviously but I'm taken aback all the same. I'm not used to his easy humour anymore. I'm not the girl he once knew. He's quick to notice though and clears his throat, asking instead for a pale ale with an awkward smile and my own smile is awkward back but it's a smile either way.

I feel like I'm choking on my tongue.

He looks about the place as I pour and I'm both thankful and ashamed all at once. It's a dump either way you look at it but he's acting at looking impressed anyway and my heart aches for his kind soul.

"Have you worked here long?"

"Eight years or so," is my short reply. I place his beer in front of him with trembling fingers and wave away his money. I shouldn't be doing this, it's a chunk out of my limited wages but it's Robin and I owe him far more than a shitty pint. Far, far more.

"Thank you." He takes a quick sip and I wince on his behalf. Any profits we make go into Zelena's pocket rather than improving the bar and that includes our current brewer. The ale tastes like piss. He swallows, somehow, before his eyes fall upon me once more and the awkwardness only grows. Ten years of wondering what happened to him once he'd returned to England and now here he is, sitting in front of me like no time has passed at all. "So-"

"What're you doing here, Robin?"

He blinks, shocked and sure, it was a little blunt of me but time spent here has taken my patience so I can't find it in me to feel bad. Not really. "A lady in the diner told me you worked here so I thought I'd-"

"No," I interrupt again, "I mean, what are you doing here in Storybrooke? What are you doing in America, for that matter?"

He winces guiltily and I frown, waiting for his explanation - not that he owes me one at all but it's Robin, despite all the years that have passed, I know he'll have one for me. "My Mum died last year."

"I'm sorry." I really am. Rose Locksley was a lovely woman, funny like Robin and dependable. A real shoulder to lean on and one I did again and again and again during the summer I got to know her.

"I spent the last ten months trying to figure out what it was I wanted to do with myself now that my only tie in life was gone. England had never truly felt like home again to me…" It feels like a leading statement, one that has butterflies fluttering stupidly in my stomach with the way he's looking at me. I'm internally berating myself for even daring to think he's referring to me with what he's saying but then he adds, "not since the summer I spent with you," and everything goes to shit.


	76. Time Stops - Part 4

I shouldn't let him walk me home, not when there are action figures in the window of Henry's room and practically a whole wall dedicated to his classroom creations over the years in my living room because I haven't mentioned him yet and they're a definite invitation for more of his questions but then, it's 2am. The house will be in shadow, save for the small lamp Rose uses to read beside but she'll no doubt be dozing on the sofa at this time so there's not too much that he'll be able to see from the sidewalk and talking to him - now that I've gotten over the shock of him being here - has been so nice.

He's just the same as he used to be, still a charmer, but he's surer of himself now, confident even. He's happy too, despite the tragic loss of his mother. It sparkles in his eyes, colours his words as he tells me of his life during the years we've been apart.

He's done so much and I have to fight not to let my disappointment show because I'm so very boring and unaccomplished beside him.

"I was a bit of a terror in school," he reminds me and I laugh softly because he was, "do you remember?"

"How could I not?"

"The good girl gone bad," he calls me and my smile is a little harder to maintain because that's what mother used to call me after the principal had called home about my behaviour. He doesn't notice though, not in this poor light. "They were the best days."

He's doing it again, throwing back to a time that's long gone. My stomach flips at his tone and I swallow before asking, "Is that why you became a teacher?"

He shrugs then, back to easy as he answers, "Amongst other things." We're almost outside of my house when he tells me, "I start at Storybrooke Elementary on Monday, I'm back for good, Regina."

My stomach drops out completely. He hadn't told me he was here permanently. I want to be happy for him, truly I do but…how the hell am I going to explain Henry?


	77. Anger Management

They're swaying gently from side to side with no real rhythm, her arms tight around his neck and face still damp pressed into the crook as her breaths begin to steady.

He hates himself for doing this to her.

"I'm going to make an appointment with Archie on Friday morning." She doesn't make to move from his hold, doesn't even flinch at the sound of his voice still rough and raw after their argument. "I've been lying to myself for too long. I'm more like him than I ever wanted to be and it's time I accept that."

She does move then, loosens her hold only enough to pull back and look at him with eyes sore and puffed. She's still so very beautiful, even in such sadness. She licks a tear from her bottom lip and sniffs. "Have you ever wanted to raise a hand to me? Ever wanted to shut me up with anything other than words?"

"Of course not," he replies immediately, horrified at the very thought of such a thing, "I'd rather cut off my own hand than use it to hurt you, Regina."

She swallows, another tear falling as a sad smile curls her lips and she strokes her hand over his cheek. "Then you are absolutely nothing like your father. He was a cruel man with a dark heart," she shakes her head, "you have issues with your temper, unresolved issues that have festered into something that is not your fault."

"It's not your fault either and yet you always seem to bear the brunt of it."

"Only when we let things go unsaid for too long, Robin. I have my mother's cruel tongue just as you have your father's anger but we have something that neither of them had." She drops her hand from his cheek to his chest, palm pressed to the skin beneath which his heart beats, "We have each other, we have faith and we have belief. We're resilient, you and I. We are strong and we are good people. We just need a little help remembering that sometimes."

He shakes his head as he looks over her lovely face, still astounded that she chose to give her heart to him. "I don't deserve you."

"After the life you've had?" she smiled sadly at him, her hand finding its place on his cheek once more as thoughts of his mother - his poor, poor mother - fill his mind. "You deserve far more than you know, my love."

His bottom lip quivers as he swallows, still unbelieving of the reality of the woman in his arms before he leans forward and rests his face in the crook of her neck, pressing a kiss to the delicate skin before turning his head to rest his chin on her shoulder, catching sight of the table she's set ready for his return and the meals she's prepared for them both because she knows, no matter how heated things become or how long it takes for him to return - it's only ever been a matter of hours - that he always will.

He'll call Archie in the morning still, for her. To be better for her.


	78. Getting to Know You

**Dark!OQ AU**

"So," Robin began, linking his fingers together around his flagon of ale, eyes kind despite his next words, "aside from being a mass-murdering psychopath, I don't know too much about you, Your Majesty."

She blinked, taken aback by the sting that pierced at her heart - her newly lightened heart - before she swallowed thickly and shrugged, "I'd say that's about the sum of things."

"Oh, I don't believe that for a second," he shook his head, "not one bit. One doesn't simply murder for the fun of it."

"Some do."

"But not you," he surmised, shifting a little in his seat as he leaned further over the table, "you run on emotion, on feeling. You can see it burning in your eyes should one look close enough."

"And you have?" she pressed, her own palms curled daintily around her mostly full flagon, "looked close enough, I mean."

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Her heart fluttered in her chest at his grin, so much like the Robin she'd known, always flirting, always looking to pull a reaction from her but this one was different. He was rougher around the edges, his heart darker, his soul tainted…much like her own because she's different from the Regina than she had been when Robin was alive.

She shook herself clear of these thoughts though. No use allowing herself to think silly things when the man before he was so clearly disgusted by her past.

"What about you?" she deflected, taking a quick sip from her drink before placing it atop the table once more, "A life spent running mustn't be very easy."

"Honestly?" he breathed a laugh, "it's the most free I've ever felt in all of my life. Yes, I have to keep a watchful eye on my surroundings and yes, it's hard sometimes not being able to set down roots now that I'm getting older but the whole world is my home. I'm not stifled by obligation, do you know what I mean?"

She swallowed, "No, actually."

"Think back to childhood, to the days you could run and run and run until your lungs burned and still you ran further just because you could. Think of the afternoons spent swimming until your arms ached in the lake because the sun was burning hot or laughing with your friends until you couldn't breathe or see straight because you had absolutely no worries in the world." He smiled, no doubt at his own recollections as he raised his brows and asked, "Any easier to imagine?"

Again, she answered with a soft, "No."

This time the smile faded gradually from his lips as his eyes moved over her face, frowning when her eyes dropped to her ale and she seemed to shrink a little in her seat. "You mean," his voice was kind though, coaxing her to lift her eyes once more as she swallowed down the urge to push him away now that he was delving a little deeper, "you didn't get to do any of those things? Even as a child?"

"Mother didn't approve of such frivoloties, not when there were lessons to be learnt."

"But surely you had someone to play with as a child, someone you'd tell all of your secrets to, who'd create fanciful worlds with you?"

She laughed softly after a moment as she shrugged and replied, "Daddy was my only friend as a child." And then, without prompting, she continued, "He'd sneak me out when Mother would go to sleep and we'd like beneath the stars as he told me stories of the wondrous Gods above. I'd fall asleep more often than not, cuddled into him, no worry in my mind because he was beside me, and I'd wake up safe and sound in my bed come morning with my mother none the wiser."

"Not the nicest of ladies then?"

"You could say that," she agreed with a small smile before she pushed on, "as a teenager, there was Daniel," he seemed intrigued by that name but she didn't pause, not wanting to taint their evening even further with that story, "but it wasn't until Henry," she swallowed thickly at the thought of him, her boy still despite his firm allegiance with her other half, "that I truly found happiness in my life."

He nodded, watching her for a long moment before he needlessly surmised, "You miss him."

"Very much."

"Well don't worry," he surprised her, reaching over the table to place a hand atop the back of hers as he assured her, "I'm sure we'll find sufficient ways to distract you."

She blinked, not allowing her mind to travel down the more base of roots as she frowned and asked, "We?"

He frowned right back at her and replied, "Of course 'we', unless you'd rather navigate this cursed land alone."

"Well, no but-"

"That settles it then," he shrugged, sitting back a little in his seat and taking his hand from hers as he repeated, "we."


	79. Savior

She doesn't realise what's happened until she's standing at the coffee counter with an angry queue behind her and a barista raising a pointed eyebrow at her, absolute mortification washing over her as she continues scrabbling through her bag for the purse she could've sworn she had in there this morn-

"Here."

She startles when the very thing she's looking for is thrust into her eyeline by a panting stranger, his wrist inked with a lion and a shield - a coat of arms of sorts. She follows the line of his arm to stare dumbly at his face. He's handsome and very much so.

"You left this on the counter in the toy store."

The toy store that's on the other side of town and _that's_ why he's panting. _God_ , he's raced across the city after her to return her purse and all's she can do is stare silently at him like an absolute idiot.

He smirks at her, as though he knows the effect he's had on her, before he turns to the barista and reaches his free hand into his back pocket and pulls out a crumpled note. "Can you do me a quick one to go as well, please?"

It's this that pulls her from her stupor and has her lifting a hand as she tells him, "Oh no, you don't have to-"

"It's fine," he turns to her with a deep dimpled smile that has her knees weakening beneath her as he flirts, "you can owe me."

She's struck dumb once more as she watches him pay for their drinks once his own has been made and shuffles with him when the disgruntled customer behind her makes his irritation known before simply accepting the purse he holds out to her once more.

"I need to get going," he smiles easily, lifting his take-out coffee in a sort of salute before turning and moving towards the door.

"Wait!" she calls after him, a little shocked and disappointed at the same time at the shortness of their strange little exchange, "I never got to thank you!"

"Dinner tomorrow night," he calls back with a grin as he lingers, holding open the door, "I slipped my number into your purse, call me." And then, with a gust of the same icy wind that'd forced her into the coffee shop in the first place, he's gone.


	80. A Gift

He slowly blinked open his eyes to find a pair of wonderfully toned and tan legs moving towards him, the hem of his plaid shirt skimming the middle of her strong thighs. Inhaling a deep and waking breath, he found the momentum to roll himself onto his back and smooth a hand down his pillow creased face before propping himself up on an elbow and grinning stupidly when she lifted a knee to rest on the mattress beside his hip.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." He happily took the mug of steaming coffee from her hands, sipping from it carefully before depositing it onto the bedside table so that his hands were free. He lifted one to rest on her hip, glad to feel no pantyline beneath them when he rubbed his thumb over his shirt whilst the other moved to curl his fingers around the back of her thigh and ask her closer without jeopardizing the mug in her own hands.

She watched him for a long moment, eyes filled with the same foolish happiness that shone in his own with lips pursed to keep her smile from growing too big before, thankfully, she turned enough to place her drink beside his own and allowed him to pull her further onto the bed. "Good morning, Thief."

"You look particularly delectable today."

Her smile broke to show teeth before she was biting her bottom lip and sitting back on her heels, trapping his fingers in the crease of her knee - not that he minded - before she replied, "And your bed head is really cute."

He breathed a soft laugh through his nose, eyes moving over her lovely face before he tilted his head and said, "Thank you for last night," inhaling a deep - and sated - breath, "it was wonderful."

Her eyes dropped self-consciously from his face though her smile remained on her lips as she fidgeted with her fingers in her lap and replied with a quiet, "You're welcome."

It'd been the first time she'd properly given herself over to him, given him complete control and she'd confessed in the early morning light that she'd never done that with anyone. "I don't take for granted what you allowed me to have last night, my love."

She turned her face to kiss his palm when his free hand lifted to cup her cheek as she whispered back tenderly, "I know," and then, "that's why I did it."

Robin's smile only grew as his heart swelled in his chest before he laughed softly and whispered, "Come here you," and brought her lips to his own once more, quite content to lose himself in her for the morning, their coffees cooling and long forgotten.


	81. Regina

It's the first time she's ventured out with him like this - he knows why, there is no mirror image of her boy calling for her head here, these are the lands she knows and ones he has yet to discover and he should find it odd that this is the second world he's crossed for her, but he doesn't - and she's apprehensive in a way he's never seen before.

She doesn't pretend disinterest nor does she throw those vicious barbs at him. She follows his guidance when he presses a gentle hand to the small of her back and leads her further into the tavern. He doesn't know this barmaid but smiles like he does all the same because the Queen is nervous enough for the both of them.

The ale isn't quite as smooth as his own world's but it goes down just as nicely and after three goblets full, Regina has relaxed immensely.

She's left her dark hair down tonight, the thick curls bouncing against the small of her back as she looks from one man to the other as they pull melodious laughter from her with terrible jokes.

They're a good two generations younger than Regina but with her curse - she'd taken only those she'd wanted to Storybrooke and left behind those she didn't, she'd explained to him. There aren't many who know the face of the Dark Queen from those times - she looks the same age, younger even.

He is absolutely mesmerised by her.

She's not drunk by the time they leave the tavern to make their way back to her castle but she's giggly and, one could almost say, she's affectionate.

She's bouncing beside him as she recalls one of her more favoured jokes and he's grinning but not because of her words, no. He's grinning because he's never seen her so happy.

"You're beautiful."

It slips from his lips without conscious thought but he won't take it back, even if she does falter in her happiness for a moment, taken aback by his interruption. "I…uh, thank you."

"You're welcome."

She doesn't continue with her story, her cheeks burning a beautiful pink in the glow of the moon and he thinks, perhaps, he's stunted their evening but, as he moves to apologise, she steps closer and slips her arm through his.

They reach the castle without having uttered a single word more, not that he minds for the silence had been a comfortable thing to share with her, but when he walks her down the candlelit corridors, stealing shy glances at her, he can't let her go without thanking her for their evening.

"You suggested it," she points out with a soft smile that only entrances him further, "but I'm glad that you did, I had a good time."

"Me too," he replies with a smirk.

And then they're simply lingering outside of her chambers, both loathe to let the other go and he can feel his heartbeat quickening with every passing second as the words form on his tongue.

"May I…" he begins, swallowing thickly when her eyebrows lift in a gentle - and seemingly hopeful - silent question. He's terrified of her answer but he finishes all the same, "May I kiss you, Your Majesty?"

Her lips part, eyes widening slightly before her head shakes and his heart sinks.

"I'm sorry," he begins, "I shouldn't ha-"

"If you wish to kiss me," she interrupts softly, "then please," she blinks, looking so very vulnerable to him even as she steps forward and catches his hand with the tips of her fingers, eyes dropping to their hands as she laces their fingers, "call me Regina."

He too takes a step forward, trapping their hands between them with his closeness before he uses his free hand to slip a finger beneath her chin and lift her eyes to his own once more with a whispered, "May I kiss you, Regina?"

This time, she nods.


	82. Cake

**Missing Year AU**

She needs to stop crying, has to stop crying but she's held strong for so long. Her throat feels raw, strained with the continuous effort of swallowing her pain, her palms sting terribly, little half-moon indents speckled with blood that won't heal simply because she won't allow them to.

It'd been the last straw, watching the thief fawn over his boy - she had too that morning, with the gift of magic dancing about his skin, lifting his hair and tickling at his sides like mischievous little sprites - beaming with pride for his boy had turned a year older and _'What a year it's been, my boy!'_

She'd had to leave the Great Hall. Had turned her face away from the joyous celebration and found solace in the library.

She'll never get to do that again - not with her son by her side at least. She'd never get to spend the morning cuddled in bed with him, watching as he ripped through carefully wrapped presents and gasped excitedly at what was inside. She'd never get to hold him as he slept that night, exhausted from a party, and marvel at how he was growing.

Never, never, never again.

She's on the floor, fingers gripping at the carpet with legs tucked beneath her and sobs fierce but quiet despite the way they shook her entire body.

"You forgot your cake, Majesty."

Her eyes snapped open, her head tilting upwards to find Roland standing in the doorway - one hand still on the doorknob and the other balancing a slice of cake on a plate - looking rather concernedly at her.

"Why are you sad? Did you fall?"

She laughs wetly at his wonderful innocence despite the strong urge to continue crying and forces a smile as she sniffs, "No, sweetheart."

He considers this for a moment before fury colours his face and he looks at the space around her, asking, "Did somebody hurt you?" because he's seen it before, the way they dare to grab at her - her wrists, her arms if she should turn away from them - and she knows he doesn't like it. He's told her so himself.

She shifts on the ground, moving to kneel instead as she beckons him closer and assures, "No, Roland. I just miss my son, that's all."

His face softens, "Oh," before he moves closer to her. He takes her in for a moment, dark eyes moving over her tear stained cheeks and puffy eyes before a look of determination crosses his face and he turns to place the cake on the ground.

She watches him almost amusedly, caught completely by surprise when he straightens up and turns back to her only to take her face in between his small hands and press a kiss to her nose.

"Don't be sad, Majesty," he says when he pulls back and lets his hands fall, as though it's the simplest thing in the world to do, before he reaches down to get her cake once more and hands it to her with a sweet smile. "This'll make you feel better."


	83. Exhaustion

She inhaled a deep breath, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck even further as she murmured, "What happened?" with eyes still closed and a body begging for more sleep.

"You dozed off, my darling," he whispered with a voice just as sleep slurred as her own, "I think I might have too, for a moment there." He shivered at her sleepy chuckle but only wrapped his arms around her tighter as she slipped her knee between the both of his. Each of them trying to get closer to one another despite his following, "We should go on up to bed."

"Mhm…"

"Our backs will ache something terrible in the morning if we don't."

"You're right," she returned, "they will." Her arm rested heavier over his hip as she blinked open her eyes only for heavy lids to fall shut once more. She was absolutely bone weary, they both were despite there being two of them to cope with a little one now and they'd both spoken of how much more exhausted they felt now than they ever had when the boys will children.

"Perhaps we're just getting old," Robin had theorised half-teasingly.

Perhaps they were.

"Regina?"

She twitched a little, having been falling back under sleep's seductive pull. When he didn't respond, she gathered strength enough to lift her head from his neck and could only smile when his mouth caught her own in a tender and drowsy kiss that she returned easily.

"I love you."

She breathed a laugh through her nose, managing to open her eyes enough to find him grinning back at her despite his own closed eyes. "I love you, too," she replied, slipping her head back beneath his chin and cuddling closer, "now shut up and go to sleep."

His breath of laughter ruffled her hair before he did just that and she followed him under, bad backs be damned.


	84. Pre-Marital Cuddling

She knows who it is even before she opens the door and she's terribly sleepy but her smile is warm and genuine when she finds him just as drowsy standing on the porch in a hoodie and sweatpants.

"You know you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

"I see no wedding dress."

"What are you doing here?"

He huffs a frustrated breath as he stuffs his hands into his pockets and tells her, "I miss you."

"It hasn't even been 12 hours, Robin!" she exclaims but she's touched and terribly so to know that he feels the same as she has because, she won't admit it, but she's missed him too tonight.

"In a few hours, I will be promising to spend the rest of my life with you, Regina Mills. The reason being that I am happiest when I am by your side."

"If Mary Margaret catches you, I doubt 'Til Death Do Us Part' will be too far off."

"She doesn't scare me."

Her lips purse as she raises an eyebrow and tilts to lean against the door jamb, still not allowing him inside despite her wavering resolve. "David covering for you if she wakes up?"

"Henry, actually."

He steps closer, chuckling with her, before his hands find their place on her hips and he tugs her a little closer to him.

She stumbles a little in surprise, palms pressed to his chest for balance and a small gasp of surprise catching in her throat at the realisation that he's bare chested beneath his hoodie.

"You're throwing my son into the firing line?" Her voice is a little breather than she'd like, always so affected by him, as her fingers slide down the zipper a little so that she can swirl the tips over his warm skin.

He shrugs, "She wouldn't dream of harming her grandson."

"I don't know, this whole thing has sent her a little crazier than usual."

His smile goes tender then as he rocks them side to side a little, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her forehead as he points out, "Because she wants everything to be perfect for you."

"I'm marrying you, Robin," she whispers, tilting her head back so that she can see those wonderfully warm and loving eyes, swallowing down her self-consciousness and confessing, "it doesn't get any more perfect than that."

The kiss he bestows upon her speaks far more than any words ever could and she's smiling when they part for he follows such a tender display with those playful little pecks that she loves terribly. "Will you allow me inside for some pre-marital cuddling?"

A frown creases her brow at that as she scoffs a laugh and asks, "You knocked on my door at 1 in the morning to cuddle?"

His answering, _"Naked,"_ is so wonderfully foolish and almost petulant - as though he can't believe she's making fun of him for trekking all the way over here for such a thing - that she can't help but laugh even as she rolls her eyes and pulls his hands from her waist to begin tugging him inside with her, glad to love and be loved by him for the rest of their lives.


	85. Advice

She doesn't mean to eavesdrop, not really, but when she finds herself stopped just shy of the living room doorframe by the sound of two very male voices inside - Henry's was getting lower by the day it seemed, her baby boy was growing up too fast! - she can't help but linger and especially so when she hears the subject of their conversation - Violet.

"I didn't mean to snap at her, it's just," Henry sighed tiredly, "I've been studying so hard for our midterms and, no offence, but Robyn's not the quietest of criers."

"Oh none taken, believe me," Robin chuckled good naturedly and how Regina wished she could see through walls. It was one of her favourite sites, seeing her love and her son together just as she knew it was Robin's to see her with Roland or with Robyn, their bonds ever-strengthening.

"When I get a little bit of free time, I want to just…"

"Chill?"

She rolled her eyes with a quiet laugh at Robin's reply, the terms of the youth sounding even more ridiculous on his tongue.

Henry chuckled too, always as amused as she by his attempts, before he agreed. "It's just nice sometimes to have a little quiet time, you know?"

"Believe me when I say that I understand, Henry."

"Well, what do you do?" She heard him shift on the sofa, no doubt angling himself more towards Robin with his question, "When you want some peace but don't want to upset Mom or anything?"

Robin released a long sigh through his nose and she found herself listening a little harder for his answer as she pressed herself against the wall. "It depends really," he began carefully and she found herself rather curious to hear his thoughts when he believed she couldn't. "The thing with your mother is," he continued, "I find that I've always craved her company even before we were together. She despised me in the Enchanted Forest during the Missing Year and told me so at every opportunity yet still I just wanted to be near her. Once," he chuckled at the forming memory, "she threatened to set me on fire for refusing to leave her alone in the library whilst she worked at finding a solution to our problem with your Aunt Zelena."

Henry laughed too as Regina pursed her lips at the memory, shaking her head at the remembered feeling of irritation his presence had given her. "And did she?"

"Almost," Robin replied, "at one point I did genuinely believe she'd follow through."

"Then why did you stay?"

"I didn't want her to be lonely." His answer was so simple and so easily given that Regina felt her heart melting in her chest even as she shook her head at her sap of a lover, "even if that meant me losing my eyebrows." The boys laughed for a long moment, as did she, before he continued, "My point is though, even now both your mother and myself need some quiet time to come down from the stress of our days. Sometimes I'll go and visit my men in the woods, as you well know, and sometimes she will take herself off for a run but, most of the time, we spend that time together. Your mother is not just my soul mate, she is my dearest friend. She makes me laugh until my ribs ache, she can soothe my deepest fears and she knows when silence is needed."

"In those times that I find myself alone, I miss her. Don't get me wrong, your mother and I can spend time apart from one another, we are not attached at hip," he chuckled good-naturedly, "but there is a reason that she and I are meant to be together. We just fit. That is also not to say that you and Violet shouldn't be together if you don't feel that way for her Henry. It's healthy to argue, to want some time to yourself, and especially at your age. You're young, you're supposed to want your independence, to need time to yourself and it's okay to feel that way. You just need to understand that sometimes, that desire can be misconstrued by those wanting to spend time with you."

"If you can find a way to include Violet in your quiet time, then I'm sure she would be appreciative of that but if you truly wish for a little time to yourself then just be honest with her. Tell her the truth. I've found that your mother much prefers when I am honest with her, even when I'm terrified that it's going to hurt her feelings. Women are far more perceptive than we are, Henry."

There was a long moment of silence that followed in which she guessed that Henry was digesting Robin's words before her boy replied with a soft, "You're right," and then an appreciative, "thanks, Robin," that was followed by a small clap when they shook hands as they often did before Robin would pull him into a hug that always melted Regina's heart. "I think I'm gonna call her."

"No problem, I hope you get everything resolved."

Henry appeared moments later through the door that led out to the bottom of the stairs and took them two at a time as he moved up to his room. She gave Robin a couple of minutes to himself before she finally moved once more and stepped into the living room.

"There's my girl," he grinned the moment he laid eyes on her and lifted his hands palm upwards in invitation.

Her smile was soft, her eyes warm as she took those hands and allowed him to pull her closer so that her shins were pressed to his legs and his arms wrapped easily around her hips as he pressed a kiss to her stomach before resting his chin there and looking up at her. She lifted a hand to his cheek, smoothing her thumb over his cheekbone as she tilted her head and told him, "I love you, so much."

His chuckle was breathy and his answer came easily as he replied, "As I love you," before this palms flattened against the small of her back and encouraged her to straddle his lap as he leaned against the back of the couch. "Now, how's about we don't talk for a little while, hmm?"

Regina chuckled at that naughty little gleam in his eyes before she placed her hands on the back of the sofa either side of his shoulders and replied, "I think that is a wonderful idea," and closed the rest of the distance to capture his lips.


	86. Crib

**Dark!OQ - in response to the crib hidden in the Queen's castle**

She worries terribly. Worries and frets and cannot find the strength to believe as he does. Steadfast and strong.

 _Potions are no match for our love_ , he'd grinned when her stomach had begun to swell despite her disbelief. It's quick, all of it is quick but it's right and they both know it, even if his belief is a little closer to the surface than his Queen's.

She worries but still, she plans.

He's glad when she voices her decision to stay back from missions now, when she tells him that she's not needed when he has his band of men and he thinks she sees through his poorly veiled relief but she doesn't comment. He's letting her make the decision despite having been only days away from suggesting it himself.

He carves the crib himself - she knew a kindly woodcutter once but he's in the land with no magic, no longer accessible - spends hours upon hours whittling away. She asks him to take a break only a handful of times before she recognises his desperate determination and sits with him instead.

They talk, while away the hours enjoying the company of one another and every now and then - much to his relief - she'll rub at his sore muscles with skillful fingers and kneading palms.

When he's done, when he sits back to look at his work, she moves her hands up to wrap her arms around his shoulders as she presses her cheek against his own and whispers, "It's perfect."

He smiles, bone-weary with hands terribly sore but he doesn't care. His hands lift to curl over her wrists and hang against his chest as he nods and speaks more of the feel of her and their child pressed to his back as he repeats, "Perfect."


	87. Mothers

She smiled when he turned to look at her, gathering her hair to one side and allowing the gentle breeze to keep it in place as she moved to cross her legs and opened her arms to him without the need for words.

He fit so wonderfully - just as Henry had in her embrace at this age - against her, leaning back against her chest and taking one of her hands in his as she dropped a kiss into his curls. It was a way of taking comfort from her, playing with her hands, and so she found herself frowning as she took her eyes from the three in the water - Henry held one of Scarlett's hands whilst Robin held the other, keeping her balanced as the waves lapped at her little ankles - and asked, "Everything okay, sweetheart?"

He'd done nothing but smile all day long - they all had - as he'd built sandcastles with Henry and kicked at the ocean spray, roaring with laughter whenever he'd manage to wet his father. She wasn't quite sure where the change had come from.

"Do you miss your mama, Regina?"

The question caught her off-guard. They'd spoken of Cora - briefly, of course - once before when Roland had asked about her. He'd found a picture stowed away and almost forgotten in a drawer when he'd been searching for crayons and had brought it to Regina. It was a picture crafted from a memory - just the same as the only photograph she'd once had of Robin and herself when he'd left for New York - a time before Daniel and her mother's scheming. Before she'd come of age - or as of age as her impatient mother wanted to wait for her to be - when image was not quite an issue. It had been the only time she'd ever remembered being embraced by her mother for reasons other than manipulation. A bittersweet memory.

Her throat thickened as his small hands bent and straightened her fingers slowly. "Why do you ask, my darling?"

His head tilted against her chest as he sighed softly. "Because I miss my mama sometimes but then you and papa make me feel better and I still miss her but it doesn't hurt as bad…" he began in his wonderfully innocent way, "so I thought that maybe you miss your mama too, 'specially on mama's day."

The term had her smiling despite the anguish flooding her body because that was what his card had read this morning. Written in his own hand with a picture of her - a heart-achingly sweet stick figure with long dark hair and an apple in its hand - on the front. She'd cried happy tears reading it and had squeezed him a little too tight but he hadn't complained, had merely held her back and told her, _"I love you, mama."_ as he did so often these days.

"You know what, my darling boy?" she hugged him tighter, glad when he followed the path of her hand and merely covered the back of hers with his own when she wrapped it around his waist, "I do miss her terribly sometimes but you know what helps?" He turned his head enough to look at her, shaking his head so sweetly that she couldn't help but press a kiss to his cheek before pulling back to look at him once more. "You and your papa and Scarlett and Henry."

"Just like me?" he gasped with a smile, always as wonderfully ecstatic as she when they discovered one more thing in common with one another.

She nodded her head with a smile that came much easier even as her eyes teared, "Just like you, sweetheart."

He grinned before it was he who was stretching himself up enough to press a sweet kiss to her cheek and dropping back down into her lap again, content to stay with her watching the others play. "I love you, mama."

She breathed a soft laugh through her nose, laying her head upon the top of his head as she kept her eyes on her other loves and replied, "I love you too, my little knight."


	88. Chapter 89

**Missing Year AU**

He pulls her into a darkened corner the moment the other's attention has shifted and she squeaks a sound of surprise but follows his gentle guidance without hesitation – how far they've come, he thinks.

"You are not allowed to use yourself as bait."

She hasn't voiced the idea yet but he knows it's there, brewing behind dark eyes. "I wasn't-"

"You were," he interrupts and it's not accusing, it's concerned and he knows she can hear it because she moves to speak but thinks better of it, closes her mouth and bites at the inside of her cheek for a moment. She's looking sheepish and a little guilty and he doesn't want that and so holds her upper arms with gentle palms and leans forward to press a lingering kiss to her forehead that she sighs into as she melts a little against him. "You are not the one to blame here, Regina."

"She's _my_ sister, Robin," she argues softly, her hands cupping his elbows and she sounds like she's already given up. "it's my head she wants."

"And it is your head she shan't get."

"Too many have died already."

He knows that, the memory of his men – there's only John and Will left now – slumped and bloodied against the castle walls still haunts his dreams but, "Your own death won't bring them back, you don't owe them a debt. They died willingly to protect everyone within the castle walls." Because her guard has been all but wiped out too. "We won't let them die in vain," he pulls back and lifts his hands to her cheeks, tilting her face up to his. Her eyes are wet, her bottom lip quivering as she allows herself a human moment with him in the near darkness, "We will win, Regina."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because somebody has to keep the faith," he replies simply and with a gentle smile before he tells her, "you are the most powerful woman I have ever known, Regina and that is in far more than just magic and sorcery," he drops a hand to her chest, feeling the strength of her heart within, "you have the biggest heart of any and I have no doubt that it will steer you right in this battle."

Her fingers curl tighter around his elbows as she exhales deeply before confessing, "I won't be able to do this without you."

"And you won't have to, my love."

Her eyes move between his for a long moment before she nods and lifts her face further, asking wordlessly for what he's so willing to give as he leans down and presses a kiss to those full lips, lingering until he feels her smile softly into it. Her following, "I love you," is whispered like a secret against his lips despite the fact that most of the castle either knows or at least suspects something at this point – he'd practically fallen into her arms the night they'd discovered the dead outside of the castle.

"As I love you," he whispers back before pressing one last soft kiss to her lips and leading her back out into the light.


	89. Safety

They're talking of inconsequential nonsense, both just trying to flush out the feeling of a bad day, sipping at their drinks to wash out the awful taste left behind. They do this often and they've found it quite the addiction – an after work drink together. There's nothing going on between them though despite the flirting and the lingering touches, despite eyes that drop to lips more often than not and legs that brush beneath the table. Nothing going on at all.

She balks when _he_ walks in. "Shit."

"What?" Robin asks, moving to turn his head and see what has her paling when she grabs at his arm.

"Don't look!" she warns, shaking her head at him before ducking her gaze to her cocktail.

He's frowning at her, she can feel it and she needs to give an explanation but she's scared that her voice will carry and so she merely continues swirling her straw through her drink, glancing up to gage Sydney's movements.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything at work," she sighs self-deprecatingly when he takes himself over to the bar a safe distance away from them, "of course he'd follow."

"Who is he?" and Robin chances a look now that it seems safe enough, looks over the back of a seemingly normal guy. He's not though.

"He works in my building," she explains briefly, "gives me the creeps."

"Has he ever tried anything?"

She looks up from her drink to Robin – she recognises the over-protective glint in her eye and though it's reassuring, she doesn't want anything trouble for someone as unimportant as her building's security guy – before she shakes her head, "He's asked me out a few times."

"What, he can't take a hint?"

She chuckles softly, "He means no harm but…" she closes her eyes a shudders a little, "I don't know, there's just something… _odd_ about him."

Robin's hand comes to cover hers and he's smiling comfortingly at her as his thumb moves over her knuckles, "Well, if there's anything I can do to help," and then, "I could warn him off for you?"

She laughs again, is about to tell him not to worry when Sydney turns from the bar with his drink and makes a show of pretending not to have already known _exactly_ where she was sitting. He gasps ridiculously and tries to make eye contact but she glances back to Robin and reaches over to hook her palm behind his neck and pulls his mouth to hers, fusing their lips and holding him in place. She counts to ten in her head – poor Robin is completely stunned, is barely breathing – before she pulls back and makes a show of wiping her lip gloss from his lips.

Her attention is on the man storming out of the bar behind him, his pint untouched and still sitting on the bar top as the bartender frowns with change in his hand and no customer to give it to.

She exhales in relief before looking to a still stunned Robin and taking her hands off of him. "I'm sorry," she shakes her head, ignoring the tingling of her lips and her still pounding heart, "I shouldn't have kissed yo-"

He tugs her back to him before she can even finish her sentence and the sound he makes when his mouth opens around hers and closes once more, her hands finding his cheeks to keep him close, has a shiver running right through her. God, he smells good. "Don't ever apologise for that," he tells her before capturing her lips once more and encouraging her to open her mouth with a tongue licking at the seam of her lips.

It's extraordinary, she thinks as their tongues slide wetly together, just how affected her has her as she allows herself to get lost in him.

Perhaps if she weren't so intoxicated by him, she'd have seen the man still watching them vengefully through the bar window.


	90. If

They're lying on their backs with eyes on the slowly moving clouds, fingers laced between their bodies and resting upon the soft grass. It's quite the incline that they lay upon but it's their favorite place. Far away from the rest of the world.

"If I asked you to marry me," Robin begins casually, as though speaking of the weather or describing his shift in his mother's cafe two nights ago, "would you say yes?"

Her stomach flips at the prospect but it's just for a moment because he's not asking, not now anyway and, if she knows him, not for a few years yet. They're young but not stupid. Still, her answer is, "Yes," because she knows that she would, "I think so," but why let him get cocky even if she _is_ certain.

He nods, his expression still completely serious despite the ridiculous notion of marriage in the middle of their perfect little day. "Good."

"And if I asked you?"

"Probably not."

She scoffs a laugh, turning her face to his to find him grinning at her. "You're such an ass!" She swipes at him with a hand that he catches and tugs on, rolling with her to pull her body atop his and laughing when she smacks at his chest still despite her wide smile.

"Of course I would," he replies tenderly this time, stroking her dark hair behind her ear, "I'd be a fool not to."

She purses her lips to keep her smile from growing even further as she teases, "And what if I manage to get that book deal and have to move to New York to be closer to the action?"

He lifts his head to press a kiss to her nose before resting back on the hill and promising, "Then I'll be in the seat next to you on that plane."

This time it is she who drops her head to press a kiss to his lips before she whispers, "Good," and dives in deep.


	91. Raise a Glass

"So," Emma smiled at the both of them, taking a quick sip of her ale before placing it atop the table once more and continuing, "Mom and Dad's first night out, huh?"

"We have had a drink since she was born, Emma," Regina replied with an amused roll of her eyes, loving the way Robin draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side. She was absolutely baked already and he knew it. "Just nothing excessive."

"I didn't expect that you'd have gone without your cabernet for too long, Madame Mayor," the blonde replied on a laugh, "just that it must be nice to get out and feel like a person again instead of a new mother."

"I don't know," Robin turned his head to look at his wife, smiling when she turned and caught his eye, "I think she wears motherhood beautifully," he squeezed her against him a little more, "she always has."

She lifted her palm to his cheek, pursing her lips to keep her smile from growing too wide before she brought his lips to her own for a brief but loving kiss that lasted for only a few seconds but lingered wonderfully on her lips and pulled a warm hum from her lips.

"Careful," Killian teased as he slipped back into the booth with another two drinks for himself and Emma – he had offered to buy both Robin and Regina one also but they'd declined – "keep going like that and we'll be expecting baby number five."

"Dear God, no," Regina chuckled with Robin and with the other two, rubbing her thumb over her husband's cheek before she turned back to face Emma and the pirate, "As much as I loved carrying our beautiful baby girl for nine months," she thought of Henry's impending teenage angst that she knew would be arriving any day now, of Roland's transition into mainstream school and of Scarlett's trouble with teething, "no."

"Oh come on, Regina," Emma rolled her eyes, "you're telling me that you'll be having no more children?"

"And why is that so hard to believe?"

"You're like _born_ to be a mother, there's no way you're not going to have anymore."

Robin's palm rubbed her upper arm as he laughed softly beside her for he'd said the exact same thing when they'd discussed the idea of more children.

"I didn't say I wasn't going to mother any more children, it's just…" she shrugged as Robin held her tighter against him, knowing how uncomfortable such personal things were for her but still, she confessed, "there are numerous children begging for a home and for people to love them and if adopting Henry and Roland and Scarlett has taught me anything, it's that a child doesn't have to grow in your stomach for them to grow in your heart. I want to afford more children the opportunities that our children have here."

There was silence for a long moment as her words filled the space around them before Killian was nodding his head and proclaiming, "Well, if that doesn't deserve a toast, then I don't know what does."

And as they all raised a glass in agreement, Regina found she'd never felt more certain about any other decision in her life.


	92. Work-Out

The first time Regina had convinced Robin to join her at the gym – it was a barely used room quite hidden in the middle of town and barely used by any but herself – he'd walked in and walked straight back out again.

"Why would I lock myself away in a stuffy room, staring at myself in a mirror when I could be out running the trails of the forest, witnessing one of the more beautiful sights this town has to offer." Even when he was surly and stubborn, he couldn't help flirting with her. She'd managed to convince him to spend just one hour in the gym with her before he made his final decision and he'd relented but only for the promise of sex in the showers when they were finished.

Her screams had echoed through the building.

The second time she asked, he was still in bed. Half-asleep and pouting, he'd waved her off and so, as any woman would, she'd marched herself back into her closet and changed into one of her more revealing gym sets, forgoing the usual loose fit tank top that she wore over her sports bra and coaxed him awake with the warmth of her stomach pressed to his when she'd crawled over him.

She hadn't made it to the gym that morning but she'd most certainly gotten quite the work out from it.

The third time Regina asked Robin to join her on her morning workout, he'd agreed. She'd pretended it wasn't simply for the tight yoga pants and sports bra she'd been wearing once more and had led him, not to the gym, but to the woods.

The sky was clear and a brilliant blue at this time in the morning, the air fresh and crisp and she could tell instantly that she'd found the right spot for them both. The smile on his face as she'd led him from the trail and out into the clearing she'd scouted the afternoon before had been beautiful and she'd revelled in the feel of putting it there.

His brilliant blue eyes had wandered over the tyres and thick ropes that she'd procured and brought out here, had trailed up and over the metal bars and the matt laden with dumbbells before they'd found her.

"I thought we could use a little of what I liked," she nodded towards the medicine balls she favoured when she performed squat and lunge reps, "and mix it with a little of what you like." She'd lifted her arms out to indicate the open space and had laughed melodiously when he'd caught one of her hands and spun her in towards him to catch her mouth in a sweet kiss.

She'd melted into it with fingers wrapped around his wrists and arms left to hang in the space between their bodies and had grinned like a lovesick teenager when he'd pulled away to say, "Thank you," to her.

They spent far longer than an hour out in that clearing that first morning, the two of them working out, side by side and with matching smiles of contentment and had jogged home together, nodding to newly roused townsfolk as they'd passed and from that day, whenever Regina would ask Robin to join her for the morning, he never refused – and not only for the skin tight outfits Regina continued to wear for him.


	93. Feast

**A tiny bit M**

She wakes to the smell of bacon, warm and comfortable and, rather suddenly, hungry. She knows it's late, can tell by the mid-morning sun streaming in through curtains that had been shut when she'd fallen asleep last night which means that he'd killed her alarm before it'd had chance to wake her. He does this sometimes, romances her with the simplest of gestures and, as it always does, it has her smiling like an absolute idiot as she blinks open well rested eyes to find him standing at her side of the bed with that gorgeous dimpled smirk of his.

He's laden with a tray; a plate stacked high with bacon and pancakes for them to share, a small glass vase holding a white rose from the garden, two glasses of orange juice and steaming, fragrant cups of coffee that have her smile widening as she shifts to sit back against the headboard.

"Good morning," he greets, circling the bed to his side and clambering up whilst still keeping the tray and its contents balanced. "I made us some breakfast."

"I can see that," she grins, laughing softly against his mouth when he leans close enough to drop a kiss upon her lips. "May I ask the occasion?"

He shifts so that he can sit beside her, smoothing the duvet with one hand before depositing the tray between them with the other and replying, "The occasion is, I love you." And then, because she's clutching the sheets to her chest in the morning light, he informs, "Plus, Gepetto stopped by around an hour ago and asked if the boys were free for the day. He needs a little help in carving some more puppets ready for the festival next month and they were all too happy to volunteer."

It's not an odd occurrence, Gepetto calling and asking for the boys help in his workshop. He'd taken to them instantly one morning in the diner, had spent a good hour answering question after question about his work – he still aches for his Pinocchio and Regina can appreciate the need to fill his space with the gift of youth once again – before inviting them along that afternoon. They'd loved it, had returned home to tell them stories of their work and when the old man had asked for their company again, both Regina and Robin had been quick to agree to it. Now it's almost a weekly thing.

She smiles at the image of the boys – overexcited and endlessly eager – that Robin's words conjure before she drops the arm covering her chest and allows the duvet to fall away, chuckling at Robin's low moan and rolling her eyes as she reaches for a piece of bacon from the plate. She loves the feeling of his eyes on her. She had even in the days when they were nothing more than irritations to one another during the Missing Year. It'd thrilled her to know that he couldn't keep his gaze from her. It still did.

"That's awfully unfair, m'lady."

"Whatever do you mean?" she reaches for her cup of coffee, stopped by his hand and endlessly amused by his hungry smirk as she watches him remove the very tray he'd only just deposited between them on the floor of all places before he moves to the end of their bed. "What are you-"

"How can I be expected," he throws the duvet from her body, eyes raking her form as he grips her ankles and gives enough of a tug to have her flat on her back and squeaking through a laugh, "to waste my time on a simple meal when a feast sits just before me."

She laughs breathily, her fingers threading through his hair when he crawls up her body and begins sucking wet kisses along her thighs and stomach. "It'll go cold."

He glances up at her through hooded eyes, raises an eyebrow in challenge before he dips his head and licks the length of her sex, pressing a hand to her hip when her back bows and she gasps wantonly. "Would you like me to stop then?"

He's teasing her, testing her and she knows that if she were to tell him yes, that she would, then he most certainly would but, as it were, they had the entire house and day to themselves. There was plenty time for food later, for now she was rather content to spend as long as she could between these sheets with him and so answered with a firm, "Don't you fucking dare," endlessly relieved when those smiling lips wrapped around her clit.


	94. Sight

It's amusing for Roland, her having broken her glasses and lost her last set of contacts. He giggles and giggles and giggles every single time and she laughs along with him. Most of the time she does it simply for that very reason, to hear his laughter ringing out, echoing through the hallway and in the living room, weaving beautifully within the hubbub of the diner.

He places little hands on her cheeks and pulls her face close to his, sweet scented breath washing over her cheeks as he giggles through his words. He doesn't have to be that close to her, not really, but it's their little thing now and she thinks it may continue well after this week.

For Henry, it's embarrassing. Only when they're in public, of course and, as any mother would, she cashes in on that. She calls him close, asks him closer when he leaves too much distance between them and will use the excuse of a new text or notification on her phone to wrap her arms around him and listen as he begrudgingly reads it out for her before pressing a 'thank you' kiss to his cheek and grinning when he shuffles away with a sigh.

For Robin, it's just another excuse to be close to her - not that he really needs it.

For any question or request, even those that she doesn't necessarily need to see his face for, he pulls her close and asks her to repeat it whilst dotting kisses along her jaw or stealing grin inducing pecks from her lips between words. The boys whine and cringe but he continues regardless, pulling laugh after laugh after laugh out of her.

She's already been to see the optician, has placed a request for a new set of glasses and contacts that should be here within the next week but at the moment, experiencing a closeness with her boys that she'd felt had been lacking recently, she's in no rush for them to arrive.


	95. Send Nudes

It's a relatively new concept to her, not only for the fact that her cell phone has been one of the flip variety for the last three decades but the whole selfie sending saga in the first place. Everyone knew what she looked like, why would they want picture proof?

Henry had insisted though. Her trusty old phone had finally given up the ghost and, despite her reluctance, she'd chosen to upgrade to an iPhone. _'It does so much more than your old phone, Mom. Trust me._ ' and, of course, she did. So, the next day she'd bought one. The very same model that she'd gotten Henry for his seventeenth birthday the year before. It hadn't been hard to get used to, after an hour or so spent fiddling about with it, and she'd found herself rather happy with her new choice and her hand-picked selection of applications.

One of which was Snapchat.

At first, Henry was her only contact and she loved it. Loved looking in on his day to day activities; time with his friends, afternoons spent terrorising the Charmings with his other mother, sweet little moments with Violet. It was like her own little peek into his world.

Over time though, and with Henry's influence on the town, others had downloaded the app and so her contact list had grown to include Snow - with endless videos of Neal running riot about the town - Charming - sickening picture after picture of his one true love when she was unaware - Emma - mainly snaps warning any that followed her of the various hazards around town and some of Henry - and Robin.

He was the more recent of them all.

Her own 'story' consisted of various dishes she'd experimented with, drawings that her dimpled seven year-old sweetheart had brought home from school - he was endlessly talented with a pot of paints, they'd found - and pictures of all three of her boys together whenever she had them all in one room.

It was nice.

Also, it afforded herself and Robin the chance to get a little more creative when it came to their affections. Namely when the good and reformed Outlaw found himself on the night shift at the station.

Most times she'd send him a little warning, a preliminary snap to ensure he was alone before she'd begin the show for him.

It was never anything particularly special - a bare shoulder, a video of her thighs slowly rubbing together as she let loose breathy moans, an awkwardly angled (but highly paying off) shot of her bare bottom that always sent him wild - but his reaction was always worth the effort. Particularly on the nights she didn't have to be up for work the next morning. He'd wake her on his return with a tongue between her legs or after a series of touches that would have her wet before her eyes were even open.

She'd known from the beginning that theirs was a relationship made to last the ages but to actually experience it was something that always managed to take her breath away.

The thought of her husband, so hardworking and lovely, was what had her in quite the playful mood tonight. He'd had to work a few more night shifts this week and so, she was missing him.

She padded across the floor of the bedroom to stand before her full-length mirror, grinning as she positioned herself. She didn't want the build up tonight and the thought of completely surprising him was too good to resist so, with a little preparation, she brought her phone up and pressed a finger to the middle button, recording as she moved her elbows out a little and allowed her silk nightgown to slip from her body.

She watched it through a couple of times, just to ensure it did the job, before she pulled up her contacts and found Robin's name with the little gold heart beside it - of course he was her 'best friend' on the app.

It didn't take long, just the short walk back to the bed, before she received a notification telling her that he'd replayed the snap - she chuckled softly at the thought of his expression - and only one minute after that came the "Robin is typing…" banner, followed by the little blue chat button that had anticipation skittering across her bare skin.

"Oh, my love…" read his message and it was only three words but they were three words that had her grinning like a fool at her phone.

Instead of replying, however, she positioned herself back upon the bed with arms straight out before her and her camera switched to the front so that she could adjust herself. Taking a moment, she brought a hand down to thrum gently across each nipple, returning it when both stiffened into dusky peaks.

She angled her phone, taking the picture on a diagonal and swiping to add the desired filter before moving to her contact list once more. It was as she'd highlighted Robin's name that she heard a sharp cry from down the hallway - Scarlett.

She sighed gently, glancing down to send the snap - she couldn't leave him hanging in anticipation - before leaving her phone on her bed and moving to pull on her robe.

—–

Emma was quite ready to pack up and call it a night. She was on call anyway, if there was any real emergency she'd hear about it. The sight of Robin looking so desperately at his phone in the other office - no doubt texting Regina – didn't strengthen her resolve. It was home time.

First though, the phone had to be diverted to her cell.

Picking up her own phone - she really needed to learn her number one day - she was surprised to find a notification of a received snapchat from Regina. The very fact that Regina was even on snapchat still amused her.

Still, it wasn't a complete rarity for her to receive a funny picture of Henry or a sweet snap of Roland and Scarlett and so, rather innocently, she opened the app and clicked to open the received picture only to throw her phone across the room, wincing at the worrisome crack as it hit the ground. Robin was frowning confusedly at her through the window separating them but she could do nothing other than try and erase the image from her mind as her heart pounded in her chest and her skin tingled with embarrassment.

Robin's focus on his phone made sense now. How many times had they been on the night shift together and this had been happening?

It didn't bear thinking about.

—–

She was roused by gentle kisses along the line of her jaw and neck, her husband's palm warm as it stroked along her upper arm. God, she loved him.

"Welcome home," she whispered sleepily to him, tilting her head back on the pillow to allow him more access to her skin and emitting a warm hum at the feeling of him behind her. "Good shift?"

"Most definitely," he replied pointedly before he continued, "although, Emma was acting a little strangely before we left. She threw her phone across the room."

"Why would she do something like that?" Regina frowned.

"I don't know," Robin chuckled softly, "but she warned me that you'd be getting the bill for the repairs."

That had her a little more alert as she turned her head and asked, "Why the hell would it be my-" she gasped, hoping to god that she was wrong as she lifted herself from Robin's hold and reached for her phone left forgotten on her bedside table after her last exchange with Robin.

She was quick to unlock it, ignoring her husband's questions and opening the snapchat app, her heart pounding fiercely as she looked through her most recent exchanges and, sure enough, there was Emma's name just under Robin's, the little triangle just an outline of colour.

"Oh, fuck."


	96. No More Lonely Nights

"God your feet are cold!"

She chuckled into his neck, their legs sliding together beneath the covers as she slipped her arms through his and shifted herself closer to him.

"Toes like little ice cubes," he continued, feigning discomfort even as he rubbed a hand soothingly over her back and held her tighter. "Have you been standing in the freezer again?"

"Shut up, idiot."

She was no longer trembling as she had been when he'd woke to her soft whimpers, thunder loud and crashing violently above them. She was still terrified though, he could feel it in the bite of her nails in the skin of his back and the rigidity of her spine whenever a flash of lightning lit up their room. "I'm your idiot, though."

That pulled another chuckle from her and a warm, "True," that only widened his own grin.

"Do you remember the first time that we met?"

She stilled against him, her frown forming against the skin of his neck before she asked, "Which time?"

He pressed a kiss to her hair at the following flash of light and roll of thunder - it was getting further apart, the storm was passing over them, thankfully - before replying, "The very first time."

"Of course I do," she replied and then, to tease, "it was the day I met Roland… and the biggest pain in my ass that I've ever known."

He squeezed her against him in retaliation and pretended to bite at her neck, grinning at her soft squeal before reaching a hand over to take a palmful of said behind. "I don't mind being a pain in this fine arse."

Her knee bent, resting against his hip as she giggled against him.

Robin smoothed his palm over a pert cheek before it was sliding upwards to rest at the small of her back, his thumb slipping beneath the bottom of her silk pyjama shirt and rubbing soothing lines there. She didn't startle quite so much at the next flash of light.

He breathed her in for a long moment, glad when he felt the steadiness of her breaths against his neck. She wasn't asleep though, he could feel her long lashes fluttering against his skin.

"I met my dearest and best friend that day, you know?"

She took a moment, but when she pulled her face from his neck and laid it back on his pillow in order to look at him, her smile was absolutely breath-taking. "You did?"

He nodded, moving his gaze across each and every beautiful feature as he continued, "I met this beautifully broken Queen with a wall so high I was afraid I'd die should I topple from its peak. She intrigued me, absolutely fascinated me so I knew I had no other option than to scale that wall."

Her head fell heavier against her pillow. "I'm glad you did," she confessed with sincerity and tears shining in her eyes. "You make me feel safe in ways that I don't think I ever have, Robin."

"Well then," he breathed on a tender smile, "at least I know I'm doing my job right." He lifted his hand from her back to tuck dark strands of hair behind her ear, stroking gently at her hairline with his thumb as he whispered, "You don't have to fight alone anymore, my darling."

She nodded, turning her face to kiss his palm before shifting so that they were pressed snugly together, her head returning to his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist a little tighter and breathed, "I know."


	97. Flashback - Part 1

**Flashbacks of rape. Very brief.**

He's never going to let anything separate them again, nothing, not a thing. It's all that runs through his mind as he thrusts into her over and over and over with poorly concealed grunts that he muffles in the crook of her neck.

They've only done this once before - twice if they were honest and let go of the pretence that came with having woken in her vault - and he'd almost forgotten how glorious it feels, how glorious she is.

She's warm, wonderfully wet and tight around him and so responsive, a symphony of sounds falling from her lips as she writhes beneath him. She's beautiful and loving and present and alight with passion. She grasps at his biceps, licks a line along his jaw and pulls him impossibly closer.

God, he loves her.

"Fuck me harder," she growls into his ear, nails scraping across his back.

He pulls back to look at her, wanting to kiss her until she's begging for breath but it's not her anymore. No, it's Marian…it's Zelena.

Her wicked grin burns at him as her nails brand him further. He wants to kill her, to wrap his hands around her throat and squeeze until she can no longer mock him with her laughter.

Those sharp nails move from his back as lean fingers curl around his wrists and tug but he's too strong. She'll die before he allows her another wicked word.

"R-Robin…" she rasps and the change is so sudden, so jarring, that it takes him a moment to understand that it's not Zelena whose legs he kneels between but Regina's, his Regina's and, for the first time since he's known her, there is true terror in her eyes and it's because of him.

She calls after him when he scurries back, practically falling from the bed – she's spluttering, trying to talk through a bruised windpipe and there are tears streaming down her cheeks - but he doesn't listen. He can't run through the house, the children are here and his clothes are the last thing on his mind at the moment so instead he finds refuge in the bathroom, locks the door behind him and sinks to the floor, surrendering to the hacking sobs that overwhelm him.


	98. Flashback - Part 2

She's not sure how long it's been since Robin had fled from their bed, cannot quite say at what time it is that he stops sleeping and either succumbs to sleep or the silence of the morning but she finds herself uncaring of time having sat with her back against the wooden barrier between them, whispering comforting words that she isn't even sure he'd heard over his hacking sobs. Time means nothing.

The door opens this time when she tries, no longer held shut by the weight of him for he now lies curled beside the bathtub with a face still streaked with tears and hiccups interrupting his deep breaths every now and then like a heart aching staccato beat that doesn't quite fit the soft cadence of sleep. He looks so vulnerable and childlike in his position that she can't bear to move him and especially not if he turns her away upon waking.

The worst of it is over now. In terms of injury, at least. She'd healed reddened skin before it'd been able to bruise as soon as lucid thought had flowed through her mind once more like oxygen through her lungs.

Still, she knows this isn't something that can be fixed with mere apologies and reassurances. It's something they're going to have to work through. Together.

It isn't particularly cold in the bathroom - nor was it particularly warm - but still, she moves silently back into the bedroom to scoop up the blanket that lays crumpled at the foot of the bed before she returns to the bathroom and quietly shuts the door behind her - if the boys wake before her, the chances of them stepping into the bathroom to find them is rather slim.

There's barely any light but she manages to navigate her way across the room without stepping on any part of him, drapes the end of the blanket at his feet and slips it over both of their bodies as she lowers herself down beside him.

She needs him to know that she's not scared of him, that she loves him and will accept him for every single part of him no matter how broken for her pieces are just like his.

His arm is heavy and comforting when she drapes it over her waist and lays her head upon his bicep, shuffling closer to him until she's able to twine their legs and slip her own arm over his side.

She's not going to let him run away from her just as, at one time, he wouldn't allow her to. They had each other now - scars and all.


	99. Flashback - Part 3

He whispers it into her skin in the dead of night – he tells her every morning that he'd slept well and she hates herself more and more every day for accepting the lie – when he thinks she's lost to sleep and can no longer hear him but she does, of course she does and it pains her that he still can't forgive himself.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Every utterance is paired with a soft kiss to the back of her head, her neck, her shoulder and he holds her in the darkness in a way that he won't allow himself to any other time, with arms wrapped tight around her frame. She feels safer when he holds her but no matter how many times she assures him that she's not afraid of him, he can't seem to break himself free of his anguish.

"I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry."

If she could kill her sister without the guilt of taking a parent from a child – Henry cries sometimes, when he thinks she can't hear, for the father he'd had for only a short amount of time – she would, God, she would. She'd rip her limb from limb just as she'd threatened for doing this to them, for doing this to him. She's like a disease, a horrible, festering wound that won't heal no matter how it is tended to.

She's tainted them and with each passing day, Regina only worries the effects will become permanent.

Usually, she remains quiet, continues under the pretence of sleep and savours the feel of his love so free in the night but tonight she can't. Tonight, she's decided that, even if only they can make a little progress, they're going to take that first step and so she whispers, "No matter what happens," feels the way he stiffens and moves to take his arms from around her, "I will never, _ever_ leave you, Robin." Her own arms lift, hands curling around the arms around her shoulders and keeping them there. "Even if you can never hold me again, if you decide never to kiss me again," she sniffs, "I'm not going anywhere, so please," she licks her lips, furrows her brow and fights the tears prickling at her eyes as she closes them tight, "please stop saying sorry."

It's a long moment before she hears anything at all but it comes, like the air let loose from a balloon, he exhales a deep and shuddered breath that tickles at her neck and drops his forehead to the back of her head as he cries silently and she lets him until they both succumb to their exhaustion.

And for the first time in three weeks, Regina wakes to Robin's arms still around her.


	100. With You

Her fingers swirled through the smattering of hair on his chest as her eyes followed the invisible pattern she was painting upon his skin, dark lashes brushing against the tops of her cheeks with every slow blink. She was utterly mesmerising even here as she did nothing more than breathe beside him. No dark lines accentuating those dangerous eyes nor crimson upon her lips that held captive the weapons that lingered upon her tongue – less and less now, for him at least. No elaborate style to keep her dark curls from his roaming fingers nor was she wearing one of her sinfully tight corsets.

She was completely bare and close to content here in his arms. Breathing. Just breathing.

The cadence of that alone was calming, a soothing balm for his soul but he could feel the uncertainty claiming her body slowly with every silent minute that passed. He'd almost taken to counting the seconds to see how much longer she'd make it this time before she would leave. With each night, she allowed the sun to creep higher and higher in the sky. So long it had been since she'd left in shadow instead of the early morning light that coloured her skin so beautifully.

He'd never asked her to stay and she'd never requested it. She didn't have to. He didn't have to. Not anymore.

"I fear that you may have ruined me, Robin Hood."

His head tilted against his pillow as he inhaled a sleepy breath through his nose with lips that curled up into a gentle smile reserved for her and her alone as he asked, "And how is that, my Queen?" His voice was just as intimately soft as her own. It'd been a battle in itself to gain the right to speak so freely with her, _of_ her but it's only in her company. Never meant for the ears of another and he'd told her that he's okay with that – he is, or as alright as he _can_ be about it – so long as he gets to spend time with her.

It's been less and less about sex recently – less about scratching that animalistic itch that'd brought them crashing together in the first place – and it is only a matter of time before she ends things. He knows as much – isn't so much ready for it as he is expecting it – so when she breathes out a shuddered breath that washes over his bare skin, he tenses, bracing himself for the kill. "I know I say…" she begins, licking at those full lips as she stares at his chest in lieu of making eye contact, "I know I say I don't want a relationship, but…"

His heart begins pounding beneath her hand and he knows she can feel it because she allows it to flatten against the skin, feeling it's thunderous rhythm as he breathes a hopeful – and God, he'll die if she doesn't say what he thinks she's going to say – "But?"

And her eyes lift from his chest then, trail along his body, up his neck, over his jaw to meet his own gaze as she replies, "But you make me want to have one…" and then, needlessly, she breathes, "with you."


	101. Family

"What are you guys staring at?" Henry asked as he dropped himself into the seat on the other side of the table to his mother and his aunt, peering between the backs of their heads in an attempt at seeing for himself.

Regina turned her face just enough for her voice to carry back to him as she replied with an amused, "Just a couple of lovebirds."

"What?" he grinned, lifting up to bring his knees onto the chair and sitting back on his heels, "Where?"

Regina threw a smirk at her sister before turning to look at Henry properly and indicating with a tilt of her head. "In the corner, hiding in the shadows from prying eyes."

"Like yours, you mean."

Zelena snorted a laugh into her hand, "He's quick," and she seemed impressed in a strange sort of Mills' way that Henry found comforting and familiar, he hadn't spent much time with his aunt what with her wanting to capture him and use him as bait for a good half a year, "I like it."

Regina's dark eyes rolled as Henry chuckled softly.

"I still can't see what you mean though," he squinted, trying to focus his eyes enough to make out the movement in the shadowed corner, wondering at the same time who it could possibly be with most of the couples already out and on the dance flo- "Oh my god."

Zelena's laughter wasn't quite so suppressed this time. "I think he might've spotted them."

His mother's was just as loud as she agreed with a breathy, "I'd say so."

He gawped at the sight of the diner's patron and the carpenter a little too close for comfort, barely hidden now that his eyes had adjusted and practically sucking the life from one another in the corner of the room with absolutely no care for who could spot them. "I want to look away but-"

"I know," both his mother and aunt agreed as they looked back, still laughing at the pair, "it is rather sweet though."

"Sweet!?" both Zelena and Henry cried, turning their eyes to a smiling Regina.

"You've gotten weird."

"I agree," Zelena cringed, shaking her head as though doing so would dislodge the image of Granny and Marco from her head. "No more wine for you, sis."

His mother, for her part, merely laughed them off before looking back to the older couple with a wistfulness that sobered Henry a little. It was probably the kind of thing she'd thought she'd get to do with Robin - not the making out in the corner, _bleugh_ \- growing old together, spending their lives with one another.

He'd been about to ask if she'd dance with him for a little while when she was interrupted by his Grandfather, smiling when he grinned and gave a little bow to Regina as he held out a hand and asked, "Dance with me, Your Majesty?"

She rolled her eyes - more for show than anything else - before she accepted and allowed him to pull her out onto the dancefloor, closely followed by Henry himself and Snow when his Grandmother requested her own dance and as he looked about the room, watching his mother - both of them - grinning happily and surrounded by family and friends that loved them, he allowed a feeling of contentment to wash over him because, no matter what happened - they were okay.


	102. My Majesty

They have a place back home, a small area marked off by a circle of stones in the ground, that they go to remember his father. His bow rests against the thick bark of an oak tree that Robin often sat beneath, bouncing Roland on his knee and telling him stories of the forest and the secrets it keeps. He sits there often now – once a day, at least – and tips his head back against the dark wood to cast his eyes to the sky as he breathes in the smells his father had, listens to the gentle trickle of the nearby stream, laughs at the idiocy of his father's men as he knows Robin himself once had. It never fails to allow him to feel that connection to his papa and, he supposes, this is her version of that.

She's kneeling before a thick grey stone – larger than most of the others that surround it – with a hand pressed to it. Her head is bowed, the distance between them not great but certainly substantial and it's been years since he's laid eyes on her – he's searched for many years for a means of communicating with her but never found anything until now – but he knows without a doubt that it is her. He can feel it.

His feet lead him without conscious thought, silent in the soft grass but she lifts her head when he stands not four feet away from her and those dark eyes find him and he feels emotions so strong that they threaten to choke him with the nearness of her.

The words fall from his lips as easily and as smoothly as if he'd planned them as he teases gently – hopefully – "I see my sneaking hasn't much improved."

It takes her a moment – it's been almost two decades since he left, since his father's death – but, after a moment, she gasps and brings the hand on his father's grave to her lips as her eyes grow wide and shine with tears he thinks weren't far from the surface anyway. "Roland?" and it has his own eyes filling.

"I didn't think you'd remember me," he confesses because a small voice in his head had told him to stop with the ridiculous belief that she would but he can see it, that warmth that only he was allowed in the missing year, it's there instantly as she rocks back onto her heels and pushes herself to her feet with a fluidity he's surprised – but not really – that she still holds.

"How could I not?" she chuckles wetly as she finally reaches him and presses her hands to his cheeks, shaking her head as she lets her eyes roam over his features. "You look so much like him."

"John says the same all the time," he laughs, hands curling around her arms with arms bent and left to hang in the space between them. "He says I'm handsomer though," he tips his head up to the sky and laughs, "sorry papa."

She's laughing but those tears are falling faster and his own emotions are only building as he looks her over now. She's just as pretty as he remembers, just as pretty as his papa always said she was and though there's a sadness in her eyes, there's a happiness too, a freedom that he's glad to find. He goes easily and willingly when she pulls him into a bone-crushing hug.

"You smell the same."

"So do you," she chuckles as she turns her face to press a kiss to his temple that only has him holding her tighter. "I've missed you, sweetheart."

"Not as much as I've missed you," he replies before turning to press his face into the crook of her neck, "not as much as I've missed you, my Majesty."


	103. Life Got Cold

Completely AU and I don't go into much detail about Hook himself as I know I have followers that like him so won't character bash.

 **TW: Domestic abuse**

Her fingers are still trembling when she takes the mug from Regina's hand – she'd almost asked for something stronger, a rum perhaps but the very thought had her stomach rolling violently and so tea it was – her heart pounding an unsteady rhythm in her chest as she licks at her dry lips before taking a small sip.

Regina sits on the sofa opposite, hair dishevelled from sleep and face bare of makeup. She looks more human that Emma has ever seen her and she thinks coming here was the right idea. Still, she apologises with a lame, "I didn't know where else to go," that has the brunette shaking her head and telling her not to worry.

"I'm glad you're here." And then, inevitably, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma realises that she hasn't even explained what _it_ is exactly but her cheekbone is still throbbing and her throat still feels tight so she thinks that, perhaps, Regina has come to some of her own conclusions in the fifteen minutes that Emma has been here. She's giving her a choice though and for that – for so much more than just that – she's grateful. "The bastard hit me," she laughs wetly before that laughter catches horribly in her throat and her face crumples because she's quite sure it's been the adrenaline and the shock of it that's kept her going until now but the realisation is slowly creeping in. "He hit me."

"Oh, Emma."

Her body shakes with her sobs and she registers the mug being taken from her hands before Regina's blurred face comes into view when the woman crouches before her. She drops her face into her hands before hissing at the sting that comes with it.

"Would you like me to heal it?" Regina asks, hands remaining on her thighs as she awaits Emma's response and she moves to allow the magic, to thank the brunette for the consideration but she stops with the word on her lips because-

"No." She shakes her head as she inhales as deep a breath as she can manage, her words coming out in a hiccupped breath that she can't help when she says, "No, let him see what he's done. Let them all see. I'm not ashamed."

"And so you shouldn't be," Regina replies, steadily, emphatically, before asking, "but can I at least clean it? Ensure nothing's gotten into it?"

Emma nods, closing her eyes for a moment to gather her strength when Regina moves off to fetch an antiseptic wipe from the first aid box and jumping a little at the speed in which the older woman returns.

She places a tentative hand on Emma's shoulder, urges her to sit back against the back of the couch before using a gentle finger to tilt her head back and warning, "This may sting," before cringing apologetically at the hiss Emma releases when she begins wiping away the dried blood from her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," the blonde assures quickly, adjusting to the feeling of the pain as she watches Regina's expression changing subtly from compassion to anger as she cleans the smaller cuts around the larger mark from where she'd scraped her face having been knocked from her feet. Her eyes moved from the complexity of Regina's to the prominent scar on her lip, her words falling from her own without conscious thought as she asks, "Was that the King's doing?"

Regina's hand stills for a moment, clearly startled by the line of questioning but she takes only a moment before she's swallowing thickly and shaking her head, continuing her work on Emma's face as she replies, "Leopold only marked where others couldn't see," and then, "that was my mother's doing."

And it's as she continues on without elaboration or much emotion that Emma finds herself wondering who was there to tend to Regina on those nights as she was doing now?


	104. A Good Man

_I once saved your life,  
Thank you for trying to save mine._

It's there on the coffee table when she arrives home, a small square of paper meant for only one pair of eyes and she can almost convince herself that the meaning behind her words is buried in the forest where her heart had once been but she knows, as she steps further into the room and lays eyes upon her son, that they are not.

"Where did you get that?"

He doesn't look up when she enters, doesn't even flinch at the sound of her voice. He merely continues staring at that weathered old scrap of paper before he murmurs, "Grandma's."

"And I suppose she told you all about it, hm?" There's no accusation in her tone, not anymore, just a resigned exhaustion that is only justified when Henry gently nods his response. "Of course she did."

"I found it in a box in the attic," he explains steadily, "she wanted me to see how far you've come from then, that you wouldn't do something stupid or reckless after Robin's death because you're stronger than that now."

She swallows thickly at the mention of Robin and of the void in her heart that he's left behind. "Losing you was different, Henry."

"I didn't die," he did look at her then with a deep frown furrowing his forehead as he shakes his head and says, "I was just-"

"-Lost to me forever."

"It's different, though. You got back to me."

"I didn't know that was going to happen," she explains kindly, walking closer and crouching down to be at his eye-level as she takes a hand from his lap and encases it between both of her own. "I didn't think I was ever going to see you again, Henry and the thought of that was too much for me to bear. How could I wake up every day knowing that I wouldn't get to spend it with you?"

"But a sleeping curse, Mom?" he shakes his head down at her, "That place is horrible, how could you want to go there?" It still breaks her heart that he knows that room of fire in the first place but one old wound is enough to pick at this afternoon.

"It wasn't about want, sweetheart," and it's hard to explain the devastating effects of depression to one still so young because she knows that's what it was now. The endless days of forgoing meals, the desire to do nothing but lay in her bed and cry herself to sleep, the inability to sleep at all despite her exhaustion. "An eternity locked in that room with the small hope that, if I ever did escape it, it would be because you had awoken me was far more appealing than the days I had before me, spent in a land I couldn't stand to be in."

He swallows thickly and he probably still doesn't fully understand but she's glad for that because he's grown up far faster than he should have anyway already. "So, what changed your mind?" and then, "Was it Robin?"

She chuckles softly as she thinks for a moment before replying with an honest – and confusing – "Yes and no," that has Henry's head tilting in question. She looks at him, strokes a hand through his hair before she lifts herself and asks him to make room for her beside him, taking his hand in both of hers when she sits and beginning, "I was going to do it regardless of his judgement but he stalled me long enough, planted a little seed of doubt in my mind that only took root and grew after my first meeting with Zelena."

"But later? When you started to like him?"

The memory of such a thing is bittersweet because she can still remember being terrified of her feelings for him, unable to do anything about them in the Enchanted Forest despite wishing with all of her heart that she had given them that extra time. "My sister lit the fire, Henry but yes, Robin tended to it and gave me something else to want to stick around for."

Henry nods as his eyes fall to their hands, his brow still furrowed but it's in sorrow now, she can see it. Hears it in his, "He was a good man." And she knows that, despite their limited time spent together, her son had liked Robin, had looked up to him and she aches all the more for her archer.

Her fingers tighten around his as she whispers back, "That he was," before tilting sideways and resting her head on her son's shoulder, closing her eyes and basking in the comfort of his love and the memory of Robin's.


	105. Sex in the Workplace

His palm is warm against the curve of her rear, fingers clutching at the supple skin and remaining even as she tries to nudge him off. He grins at her poor attempt at a scowl - she's still panting lightly, eyes still sparkling with the remnants of her second orgasm. She's fooling no one - bites at his kiss swollen lip with challenge in her eyes before he relents with a soft chuckle and allows her to pull her panties - ruined as they are, they'll do until she can get home though - back up and smooth her skirt back down.

It hadn't been her plan, riding him behind his desk, when she'd arrived here. She'd only meant to ask what he'd like for dinner - he finished an hour later than her on a Tuesday and, though she knew he'd still cook if she asked, she wanted to make something nice for him despite her disbelief in the relevance of Valentine's Day.

Talk of food had instead turned to talk of arranging an evening out for them sometime soon and had been followed by promises of what Robin would do to her once they were alone which, in turn, had found Regina bare from the waist down with Robin buried to the hilt inside of her despite being in the Sheriff's office in the middle of his shift.

She grins as he lifts himself from his seat enough to both tuck his softening length back inside his boxers and pull both undergarments and jeans back into place. He's impossibly handsome, her love.

"I will eat whatever you feel like cooking, babe," Robin picks up where they'd left off, words fading in favour or kisses that had scorched and it's almost laughable, the normalcy of it. "But I am rather partial to one of your lasagnes."

She chuckles knowingly, thankful that he's chosen something that isn't too strenuous - her limbs are rather jelly-like at the moment - nodding as he pulls her onto his lap and wraps his arms around her waist, pressing kisses to her shoulder. "Lasagne it is."

"Seriously!?"

Their heads snap around to find Emma scowling in the doorway. Her presence reminds Regina that she has to get going for Robin finishes in just over an hour but she's stopped from further movement by Emma's question.

"What did I say about fucking in my place of work?"

Regina's cheeks flame as Robin shifts beneath her, moving to defend, "We haven't!"

Emma's lips thin as she shakes her head, "I'm not stupid," and then, rather embarrassingly, "plus, it reeks of sex in here."

And well, how can they rebuff that little claim?

She doesn't linger long though, thankfully. Instead promises to delete the security footage of the last hour and threatens revenge should anything like this happen again. Both can only stare open mouthed as Emma sets about finding some kind of air freshener in the station kitchen.


	106. Touch

She deals best in touch, he's learnt as much in the short time they've been together. If it's not a palm to her abdomen, it's fingers stroking hair behind her ear and lingering as she listens, finds sense in a situation.

She strokes back hair from eyes and lifts gazes with gentle fingers beneath chins. She follows the grooves of his body with pliant hands that induce shivers, she drags palms to cover breasts in the throws of passion and weaves fingers in the afterglow, slipping through his own and out again as dark eyes follow the movements.

She places a palm to his jaw when she kisses him, sometimes to anchor, sometimes simply to feel - she likes the way he opens his mouth instinctively to meet her tongue with his own, likes feeling his jaw move - and she wraps arms around his waist and presses her cheek to his back when he cooks or folds laundry or stands still long enough for him to do so.

Her touch is calming, soothing and sometimes desperate but each and every single one speaks of words she'll never utter for she never wants to trap him.

"Stay with me," her fingers, her palms say. "Just stay with me."


	107. Dreaming of You

**M-Rated**

She's moaning before she's even fully conscious, hips rolling against his mouth and fingers clutching at the bedsheets at her sides. "Wha-" she pants, shoulders pressing into the mattress as her back arches and her brow furrows - he's doing those rapid little licks that he knows she likes - "what are you doing?"

She almost doesn't want him to answer, as riled up as she is, for fear of falling back down the hill he'd pulled her up without awareness. When he does though, when the sheets lift enough for her to see her grinning thief tucked snugly between her thighs, biting at his bottom lip, she finds her nipples tightening even further. "If you can't tell, my love," he chuckles, "then I must be doing it wrong."

He moves as if to give up - he's a smug bastard - and her answering cry of, "No!" would be embarrassing were it not Robin in her bed. As it were though, his grin merely widened as he shuffled closer once more, hands snaking beneath her thighs to hook her knees over his shoulders before trailing over to the top of her aching mound and opening her up further to him with fingers that parted her glistening folds.

He blew on her clit, revelling in the broken, shuddered breath it pulled from her before licking a damp patch of skin just north of where she wanted him to be. "I heard you talking in your sleep," he intoned, the sheets covering him once more with the way he was teasing her, moving closer and closer to where she was throbbing for him, "did you know you do that sometimes?"

She could only moan in response when she felt his tongue dipping into her, swirling around her entrance before pressing in as deeply as he could in a way he knew drove her absolutely insane for the eroticism the image of it conjured in her mind.

"You were babbling, whimpering like you do," and when she did, when he brought that tongue up and through her folds to find her swollen clit, he laughed, "like you are," sucking hard for a few moments and freeing one hand to keep her hips pressed to the bed when she bucked against him. "You woke me with those naughty little moans, my love."

"I was dreaming of you," she breathed after a long moment, her hand finding its way beneath the sheets to tangle her fingers in his hair, gripping needily, "always you."

"Well then," he breathed, certainly more affected than he was before as his shuddered breath washed over her, "let's see if I can live up to those dreams, shall we?"


	108. Bad Dreams

His fingers moved slowly, gently through the hair at her temple. Curving around to the back of her ear before repeating the soothing motion once more.

She was clinging to consciousness, her cheek pressed to his jean clad thigh and body laid out along the length of the sofa. It had taken enough just to convince her to sit down, never mind take the nap that she was so clearly battling against. She looked tired though, absolutely dead on her feet and he was determined to settle her racing mind even if only for an hour or so.

"You smell good…" she breathed, snuggling her face closer to his stomach and the sweater she'd had ready for him the moment he'd stepped out of the shower. Her chin had trembled, eyes bloodshot and wet as she'd explained that it was one of the only things she'd kept of his after the others had convinced her that clinging to his things after his death would only hurt her more. He'd smiled, told her that he was glad that she'd had the support of the others during that time and that they could buy new things. Start anew.

He wasn't going to let anything tear them apart. Not ever again. "You smell even better," he replied on a gentle chuckle that pulled a sleepy hum from her. He sighed after a long moment of simply watching her, watching her long slow blinks and listening to the cadence of her breathing. "You haven't slept for days, have you?"

"Too much to do," she replied on a whisper, eyes fully closing for a moment before they blinked open once more, "too many nightmares."

His heart ached for her, "Will you sleep now?"

She swallowed, fingers curling tighter around the hand he'd allowed her to pull closer to her when she'd first lain down. "What if I'm already sleeping?" His brow furrowed but she continued without him having to ask, "What if this is just another of those horrible dreams and I'll wake to find you gone again…to find that you were never really here."

His fingers stopped their stroking, lingering behind her ear as he flattened his palm to cup her cheek and stroked his thumb over her cheekbone. "I can do nothing more than ask you to trust that you are not dreaming and trust that I will be here when you wake now and every time after that." He shook his head and told her sincerely, "I'm done letting us be parted from one another, Regina. "

Her dark eyes were glossy with tears, face free of makeup and making her look so very young to him as she whispered, "I'm scared, Robin."

He nodded, leaning down to press his lips to her forehead before leaning back and whispering, "Me too, my love."


	109. Staking Her Claim

My father always referred to me as spirited. Called me hot-blooded, stubborn and bound for great things and he wasn't wrong. I am hot-blooded, I'm annoyingly stubborn and, getting the chance to put my son to bed every night with shared ' _I love you's_ and the knowledge that I get to wake up in the morning and see his beautiful face, I feel I've already reached my peak, found the great things that my father always spoke of.

Then I met him.

He's all dimples and lip biting. As annoyingly stubborn as I am and just as hot-blooded when it comes to it but he's also just as much the doting parent to a boy that looks nothing like him but shares his boyish nature.

They're quite the pair, Robin and Roland, and I'm quite sure that I'm just as in love with the parent as I am with the child.

We've been skating around one another for the last year or so. Caught between the lines of appropriate behaviour for parents and a lust that has become something more - at least for me anyway.

He's here tonight, as I knew he would be, surrounded by a gaggle of grinning - and mostly married - women fawning over him. It was something I'd always loved teasing him for but now, feeling as I did, I wanted to rip their hands from his arms and frighten them away like a territorial wild cat.

He casts his eyes about the room, it's dark save for the increasingly annoying disco lights spinning about, but I know he's looking for me and my heart flutters in my chest. It's now or never.

I stride with purpose, dodging Mary Margaret's obvious beeline for me, and hate the fact that the music slows to a song fit for some kind of teen rom-com.

Still though, it won't deter me. As stubborn as I am.

The women see me first, their eyes glazing with frustration because they know, they know that his attentions will be lost to them now and it only strengthens my resolve to do this because, if I don't, then I will never know.

My grip is strong on his bicep and he barely has chance to identify me as I spin him, grab at the back of his neck with my other hand and pull myself up as I pull him down and then, I press my lips to his.

I'm hyper-aware of the gasps and murmurs of those still surrounding us. The women are practically hissing as a couple of the men - Robin's friends, I suspect - whoop and holler but then his arms snake around my waist and pull me flush against him as he responds and slips his tongue into my mouth when my lips instinctively part for him and, well, no more fucks are given.


	110. Brotherly Love

He rubbed at his eyes, toes a little chilled on the cold marble of the foyer floor - his mother was no doubt going to chide him for not wearing the slippers she'd bought specifically to keep him from slipping about in his socks but that was neither here nor there - as he reached the ground floor, ears pricked for any sound of his mother or Robin. He knew they were awake for the bedroom had been completely dark and neither had come to investigate the reason for Scarlett's cries like they usually did - he swore they had supersonic hearing or something with the speed at which at least one of them would wake and tend to the baby.

He would've worried that something had happened to them were it not for the warm but subtle glow coming from the living room.

Padding slowly towards the only sign of life on the bottom floor, Henry began to hear the soft murmurs from inside; a gentle laugh from his mother, a quiet response from Robin. Guilt flooded him at interrupting a moment of peace and of togetherness between them with how busy their lives were now when he came to a stop at the living room door. He found them both lying along the length of the couch - their legs were tangled, feet closer to him - with his mother's head on Robin's shoulder and he found himself smiling when the man threaded his fingers through her hair and leaned down to press a soft and sleepy kiss to her lips.

He'd tell them in the morning that his sister - he'd chosen to think of her in such a way - had woken but that he'd managed to rock her back to sleep because this was their time together and any time that allowed his mother to smile as she was as she looked up at Robin, stroking his face with her palm as he spoke quietly to her, was both well-deserved and well worth having.


	111. Look How They Shine For You

He fits snugly between her knees, his back pressed to her chest with little hands curled over her kneecaps as they both stare up at the vast night sky. His hair holds the scent of the shampoo she'd cleaned his curls with, his pajamas warm and baby soft beneath the arms she has wrapped around him. He'd told her that he loved her tonight, when she'd pressed a tender kiss to his forehead, ready to settle him down for the night, he'd cried and told her that he loved her and that he's glad she didn't let him go back with his Papa's men.

She's glad too.

It had taken some convincing on both her own and on Henry's part but Tuck had pulled forward and laid a hand upon Little John's shoulder, agreeing that it's what Robin would have wanted for his boy. The man had still been reluctant but had relented when Roland had broken away from his hold and leaped into Regina's arms. She'd seen the sorrow in his eyes at the prospect of leaving the only part of his leader that the man had left in a different realm and so had promised that she'd find a way to ensure that they never lost touch. He'd smiled at her gratefully, given Roland's curls one last ruffle and turned away before anyone other than Regina could see the tears stinging at his eyes.

She was still searching for some kind of steady and safe way to communicate that wouldn't allow enemies a way into their world. She was getting closer, just not close enough yet.

It had been she, hours after putting Roland to bed, who had awoken the boy when she'd tried to carry him into her room for comfort - Henry was spending the weekend with Emma and he was far too big to sleep in his mother's bed now (a small part of her ached at that) - but instead of grousing and whining, he'd wrapped his arms around her and asked her to take him outside.

They were surrounded by an invisible dome of magic that kept them from the cold air, free to gaze at their leisure and she found it calming.

"Which one do you think is Papa?"

The question caught her off-guard. "Which what, sweetheart?"

He turned his head only for a minute to look at her, "Which star, Regina?" and when she remained silent even after he'd turned back to look at the night sky, he explained, "Papa always said that if anything happened to him, if he was ever taken away from me," she felt as though she were swallowing knives with the innocence of his little voice, "then I could look up at the sky and see him twinkling down at me." And when she still remained quiet - how could she speak when his words were deepening the cracks of grief in her heart. He was so very brave - Roland asked again, "So, which one do you think he is?"

He wanted an answer, he deserved an answer from her even if only to solidify the astounding peace he'd managed to find despite his father's death, so she inhaled a steadying breath and forced back the dark sadness trying to engulf her before she took a good look at the sky, trying to find the brightest from where they sat.

They hadn't a name for the stars in their own land, no teachings like this world and so she knew Roland wouldn't know of the North Star. It fit though, when she really thought about it. A steadying force, constant amidst a sky full of chaos and always pointing you in the right direction. It was Robin to a tee and so she found herself smiling as she unwrapped an arm from Roland's waist and took his hand in her own, making sure to curl every finger into a fist except his pointer finger as she lifted it and made sure he knew exactly which star she meant as she whispered, "That one."

He took a moment but it wasn't long before soft laughter reached her ears and Roland's weight leaned heavier against her as he nodded and whispered, "I think you're right."

She pressed a kiss to his curls, wrapping her arm back around him and holding him tight as they both gazed upon the brightest star in the sky.

"I miss you, Papa."

It twinkled and Regina wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not but as a soft breeze blew around their dome, she thought she heard a soft whisper in return.

 _I miss you, too._


	112. Banishment

They're at Granny's, music playing through the speaker system that David and Grumpy had set up earlier that afternoon with the tables and chairs all stacked neatly in the back room, courtesy of Regina and Emma's shared magic and a little heavy lifting from Robin and Henry. Food lines the countertop - bowls filled with pasta and rice and beans and dishes of steaming hot lasagne for all to enjoy - with a large table filled with bottles of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages resting beside it. The main lights are off, a shining mirror ball installed temporarily and reflecting the colour filtered light system that alternates every now and again. The party is in full swing, laughter and happiness all around save for one darkened corner in which Regina is pouting as a grinning Robin approaches with drinks for the both of them.

She folds her arms across her chest, turning her gaze away with an air of feigned petulance that pulls a chuckle from him as he comes to a stop in front of her, ducking his head in an attempt to catch her sight.

She wants to smile, it's tugging at the corners of her lips but she also wants to play a little more so she holds strong and continues to stare at the growing throng of people filling the dance floor.

"I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long," he tries first, depositing their drinks on the table behind her - she has to fight the urge to close her eyes and take a deep breath of his wonderful scent when it washes over her. She merely shrugs instead when he pulls back to look at her once more, a flippant acknowledgement of what he's said and he laughs again before placing his hands on her sides and rocking her gently from side to side. "Come here," and it's not an order, more of a request that finally pulls her gaze to his as she looks over his overly-sad features - that pulls a grin from her and he takes it as a victory - before allowing him to pull her close and nuzzle his face into her neck. "I missed you."

"Well, you looked perfectly content chatting away with Grumpy for the last 40 minutes," she accuses gently - she's not really mad, she enjoys teasing him though - "I was left all by myself with no one to protect me should a surprise attack come."

He pulls back at that, eyebrows raised as he reminds her, "We both know you need no protection from me, my love."

"Still," she shrugs once more, loving how he loops his arms around her waist to rest on the small of her back, pressing their fronts together as she moves her arms up to rest warm palms on his chest. This is what she wants, it always manages to settle something within her that feels out of place whenever he's gone for too long - experience has always told her that such a thing as his absence is a bad thing.

He leans forward once more with a soft laugh and presses a kiss to the underside of her jaw that pulls a warm hum from her as her fingers curl into his shirt. "What ever can I do to make it up to you?"

She gasps at the sucking bite that he delivers, fingers clutching now as her body reacts to his in a manner so very inevitable that it has him grinning against her neck. "Smug bastard."

He chuckles, soothes the sting of the bite with a wet kiss that only has her whimpering as she drops her own face to his neck before they're tilting seeking lips towards one another's and moaning into a kiss instantly deepened with their shared desires.

It's hot, it's wet and unbearably delicious. Most definitely not appropriate for their current setting but it takes long moments of hands grasping hair and hips subtly moving together before they hear the clearing of a throat and pull apart from one another with a sucking pop.

Emma at least has the decency to look guilty for breaking up such an exchange but then she's nodding her head towards a rather stern looking wolf and instantly they both put a little distance between them. Regina finds herself glad, however, that Robin's hands merely slip to take a hold of her hips, not allowing her to move too far away as they both try and quell the desire to laugh like naughty schoolchildren with the way Granny is shaking her head at them.

"We almost got banned last week," Killian confides with a wry smile that Emma mirrors, "consider yourselves warned."

Both Regina and Robin chuckle as they watch the pair dance away before the brunette leans up to press a tender kiss to the crook of Robin's neck and whispers, "What do you say," and when he turns his face to look at her, brow furrowed in confusion, she grins naughtily and suggests, "want to get ourselves banned for a little while?"

He takes a moment to absorb her words, a long moment in which he stares wordlessly down at her before a grin breaks out across his face and he shakes his head. "You, my love," he threads his fingers through her hair and accuses, "are a little minx."

She chuckles in response, winks and drags his lips back to her own, the excitement of being caught burning hot in her belly. They'd come up with an excuse tomorrow for their week ban when explaining it to the boys but for now, she was going to make it worth it.


	113. Height Differences

It wasn't often - or ever in all honesty - that Regina found herself anything other than smaller than Robin. In her heels, she was still a good inch below him, on bare feet she was much smaller than him and even in bed, he'd dwarf her with his devastatingly bulky arms that would envelope her like the very best comfort blanket. When he was like this, however, drowsy and awaiting her return from the kitchen, she loved nothing more than padding her way around the back of the couch and wrapping her slim arms around his shoulders.

She rested her temple against his for a moment, smiling at the warm hum he emitted at the feel of her holding him after a long day, before she turned her face into his neck and pressed soft, adoring kisses there.

He smelt of pine and soft cotton. He smelt of home.

"You about ready for bed, sweetheart?" Robin lifted a hand to thread his fingers through her hair, tilting his head to rest against the back of the couch as he revelled in her touch, her love.

There was nothing more than the faint snores of the boys in their beds and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway with only the flickering fire to cast any kind of light in the living room. It was cosy and quiet. "Just a few more minutes."

He'd allow her the time she wanted, the time she needed to wrap herself around him in a way she didn't usually get to but when he'd feel her breaths begin to deepen, he'd grip beneath her underarms and pull her up and over the back of the couch - she'd always chuckle good-naturedly and marvel at his strength - before settling her in his lap. She loved being able to hold him like this, with her higher than him for a change but, when he'd cuddle her into his lap, his own legs pulled up onto the sofa, and cover any visible skin in those wonderful kisses, she found she didn't quite mind the height difference.


	114. Borrowing

She'd taken to wearing it in the winter, had only really pulled it on through necessary means because it had been one of the coldest winters that Storybrooke had ever known and she'd been ill-equipped to battle the chill that had seeped into her bones.

All three of her boys had still been in the backyard, piles of snowballs stationed beside them and cries of both victory and defeat continuously floating on up to her through the window she'd inched open for that very purpose having had to depart from the games when tummies had begun rumbling - hers and Robin's included.

She'd been searching through the drawers for something a little warmer than her usual long-sleeved shirts - too thin to truly warm her - when she'd seen it and instantly found herself reaching for it and smiling at the scent of Robin that lingered upon it when she pressed it to her nose and took a deep breath.

It was soft and it was thick, a bottle green crew neck sweater that she adored Robin in and one she found herself slipping over her head without much thought.

She sighed the moment the gentle fabric settled about her frame, rolling the sleeves up to ensure the use of her hands, she couldn't help but laugh at how it drowned her. Still though, warmth was already spreading over her. The hem reached mid-thigh and she found, looking into the mirror, she quite liked the look of it paired with her thick leggings. Perhaps she'd buy him a new sweater and claim this one for herself.

By the time she'd made it down to the kitchen, she'd relieved Robin's drawers of a thick pair of grey socks also to keep her toes from falling off. She was the epitome of comfortable.

"Hey Mom, what're you-" Henry was the first to enter the kitchen a full thirty minutes after she'd returned downstairs, the smell of food no doubt luring his little rosy-cheeked self inside and she knew he'd been about to ask what was for dinner but found herself endlessly amused when, instead, he frowned as he looked her over and instead asked, "what are you wearing!?"

She chuckled, looking down at herself once more and shrugging, "Something warm." Casual was a style of clothing that she'd only recently taken to wearing in the house having always worn slacks or skirts and blouses. It had always been a rarity to see her in clothing that had become quite regular now and Henry was still not completely used to it and certainly not seeing her in men's clothing to top it all off.

"Is that Robin's?"

It was then that the man in question came walking through the door with a giggling, wriggling five-year-old in his arms, attention on their son even as he asked, "Is what Robin's?" His grin faded the moment his eyes landed upon her, trailing over legs that looked even leaner beneath his sweater, down to her socked feet and back up to find wide eyes on his own. "Wow," is all that he could say and she found herself flushing under his scrutiny.

Henry, for his part, just muttered a familiar groan of, "Ew!" that reminded Regina of just how quickly he was growing up. Sure, he probably didn't understand that Robin's heated gaze actually meant he wanted to take her right there against the kitchen counter but he knew it meant something and so, with a grimace, he merely looked back to where his brother had been deposited back on the ground and asked, "Hey, Ro," claiming the young boy's attention, "wanna come help me choose which comic to read tonight?"

"Yeah!"

The two slipped their wet shoes off on the doormat beside the kitchen door that led outside before they were making their way out of the room and leaving the two adults alone.

Robin's gaze was hungry, appreciative and Regina found herself surprised by the echoes of arousal already stirring in her gut as she dropped her eyes to ensure she was spreading the béchamel sauce evenly over the lasagne and studiously ignoring the anticipation swirling within her belly at the sound of Robin moving closer to her.

She shivered at the feel of his icy hands on her stomach as he pressed his chest to her back and slipped them beneath the hem of his stolen sweater. "This looks wonderful on you, my love."

Her response was a breathy little thing that told just how much he affected her and it would've been embarrassing were she not so stupidly in love with him. As it was, she found she didn't particularly care for he was absolutely gorgeous and all hers. "I was cold," and then, needlessly, "and this was warm."

He chuckled lowly in her ear, naughtily as he nipped at the lobe and told her, "I could've warmed you up."

His hands moved with her stomach as she laughed, tilting her head back to rest on his shoulder when he covered the delicate skin of her neck in soft kisses and teasing bites. "With those hands?" they were warming slowly with the heat of her skin, "I doubt it."

She could feel his answering grin when his hands suddenly slipped upwards, finding her free of the confines of her bra - she'd taken it off earlier, wanting to completely relax - and cupping her bare breasts with thumbs instantly moving over slowly pebbling nipples.

Regina moaned at the sensation, her eyes closing as her brows furrowed and she arched her back against him, pressing herself further into his kneading hands. "Robin…" she whimpered, her arousal a simmering heat now as he sucked at her neck, beginning to harden against her rear, "the boys-"

"Are occupied."

"The food-"

"Can wait."

And, well, who the hell was she to argue with him?

She woke alone in bed, her brow furrowed even before her eyes opened when she found his side to be empty - warm and slowly cooling. He'd definitely been here when she'd fallen asleep - silly of her to think such a thing because of course he had considering she'd come on his tongue twice before he'd taken her hard and fast with her back pressed against the sheets - so where the hell was he?

Sitting up and blinking her eyes blearily, she listened for any signs of movement in the bathroom or down the hall. When she heard none, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and placed her feet in her slippers, stifling a yawn against her palm and shuffling towards the corridor.

Upon reaching the boys' room - both still sharing whilst they redecorated one of the spare rooms for Roland - she found them both to be sleeping soundly with absolutely no sign of Robin and so, still sleepy and confused, she moved to the stairway and began descending, the chill of the house on her bare skin - she'd pulled her pajamas on before going to sleep, not wanting to repeat the night in which Roland had made his way into their room after a nightmare - having her wishing that she'd pulled on her robe before leaving the warmth of her bedroom.

Her confusion melted away when she finally heard him in the kitchen, pottering about in the dim light that she found to be coming from the extractor fan above the stove. He was stirring something in a pan, attention completely on the liquid inside until he heard the snort she was unable to contain.

His gaze snapped to hers, mouth curling in a bashful smile as he removed the pan from the burner and set it down safely, turning to give her a full view of him in all of his glory.

She bit her lip as she looked him up and down, eyes lingering on strong legs and thighs very barely covered by the red silk of her robe. She wasn't sure how he'd managed to get it on at all but, as she looked over the way the garment hugged his biceps and fell open to reveal his broad chest, she couldn't help her amused comment of, "It suits you."

"Why thank you, m'lady," he bowed with a grin, bending right over in front of her before straightening once more when she chuckled and shuffled towards him. It was only when she grew closer that he caught the small shiver she couldn't contain, his brow furrowing guiltily as he asked, "Are you cold?"

Instead of answering, however, she merely slipped her arms in through either side of her robe and around his waist as she cuddled into him, smiling when he wrapped his own arms around her and whispering in response, "Not anymore."

He hummed softly, bending his head to rest it atop her own as he held her closely and slowly rocked them both back and forth. Regina had never felt so loved in all of her life.


	115. Happy New Year

It's Monday morning on the 1st of January and it's safe to say that all who stayed in the Mills household the previous night is feeling a little delicate as they groan into their coffee cups and wince against the harsh morning light shining through the kitchen window.

Emma and Killian are sat at the kitchen island, the former with her forehead pressed against the cold granite worktop surface whilst the latter is curled over her, both letting loose pitiful whimpers as they wait for the aspirin to kick in properly. Mary Margaret and David are at the stove, frying bacon for everyone and though they are smiling adoringly at one another - David's chin is on his wife's shoulder, his arms around her waist - they aren't as endlessly chirpy as usual.

Robin is sat at the four-seater table in the far corner of the room, forehead resting in his hand whilst his elbow is propped on the surface of the furniture as he presses his eyes closed and tries to swallow down the slight nausea he can feel in his severely unsettled stomach.

Regina, surprisingly, is the last to rise and so, when she pads into the kitchen with major bedhead and a scowl the likes none have seen since her days lived as the Evil Queen, all look up to watch her enter the room, desperate hope in their eyes that has her own rolling as she shakes her head and waves a hand across the room.

Their collective sighs of relief have a smirk pulling at her lips as does the way all seem to right themselves now that their hangover has been taken care of but nothing has her smiling more than when she finds such warmth in blue eyes that remain upon her.

They'd had quite the heavy night, the six of them, and she is quite sure that they'd put rather the devastating dent in her supply of alcohol last night but it had been most certainly worth it. She'd gotten to spend the night with unexpected friends, family and the love of her life.

One could refer to her grin as 'shit-eating' when she dutifully climbs onto Robin's lap once she reaches him, completely uncaring of the others as she strokes her hand through his hair and lowers her face to nudge her nose against his own before she whispers a giddy, "Happy New Year," to him, swallowing his happy reply with a deep kiss and a heart filled with love.


	116. Such a Tease

They're making out like a pair of damn teenagers, right there in the middle of the dance floor with dozens of people still turning around them in graceful circles and she can hear Snow's pointed coughs, can just make out a disgusted little _"ew!"_ that she knows belongs to Roland and she knows that people are stealing glances at them but, in all honesty, she really doesn't care.

His hands are on her waist, holding her to him, anchoring her and keeping her from floating spontaneously into the air with how light she feels. Her own hands are on his face, his neck, his jaw as she kisses and kisses him.

It's slow and wonderfully thorough, filled with a desperate but simmering heat that has her entire body thrumming with desire. It had only meant to be a quick peck but he'd followed her back down, had caught her lips once more and not yet relented them – not that she minds in the slightest.

They part with a wet pop, lips swollen and curling into giddy smiles that only grow when she steals one last peck before whispering rather territorially, "Mine," against his mouth.

He chuckles, fingers flexing on her hips as he nudges her nose with his own and returns a happy, "Mine," before releasing a groan when she licks at his upper lip. She's a temptress, a minx and his wife so he doesn't feel the least bit bad when he dips his face to her neck and lands a bite there before whispering, "Gods, I really need you right now."

She shuffles impossibly closer to him before slipping a hand - hidden from any not looking too closely - between them and cupping his hardening cock with her soft palm and replying with a teasingly arrogant, "I know," before she chuckles naughtily and pushes away from him, leaving him with only a view of her ironically pure white gown and a mind that knows better. Much better.


	117. All of You

**Robin is still alive when Regina decides to split herself**

Her hands were warm in his but she was trembling, her jaw clenched to keep her chin from wobbling as she fought back the tears he could see glistening in flighty eyes that moved between his own. "You don't have to do this, my love."

Her exhale was shuddered as she seemed to sink into herself a little, her body deflating as she replied tearfully, "I have to be rid of her," her head shook, "I'm tired of fighting her."

"Then stop."

That surprised her, had her brow furrowing in confusion as she blinked at him. "I-"

"Listen to me, Regina," he lifted both hands to cup her cheeks, expression softening, eyes pleading, "every single part of you is beautiful, including that darkness, including the wounded Queen still inside of you." He stroked a hand through her hair, the other still holding her close to him as he smiled tenderly, "I love absolutely every single part of you and if you will let me, I will happily spend the rest of my life helping you learn to love her too."

She was wavering, he could see it in the tears that fell to streak her cheeks even as she whimpered, "But what if she's too strong to keep contained? What if that darkness takes over again?" she gripped almost desperately at his wrists as she confessed, "I don't think I'm strong enough to fight her again."

"Then let me carry the burden with you," he tipped his forehead against her own, uncaring of Snow and Emma's watchful gaze behind them, "on the days you feel like burning the whole town to the ground, talk to me," and then, teasingly, he smirked, "let me give you other outlets for that anger." He took it as a small victory when she let out a tearful laugh and leaned heavier against him, "I want to be your partner, Regina, in every way that you will allow me to be."

"But what if she's too much?" She asked, "what if one day you wake up and don't even recognise me?"

"That could never happen, my darling," he reassured her with complete sincerity, "you forget that I have felt every inch of your wrath, seen ever gritty part of your soul and it is beautiful, just as you are. Nothing in this world could keep me from loving you, not even death."

"Don't say that."

"It's only the truth, Regina." His eyes closed as he pulled her against him with one hand at the nape of her neck whilst the other wrapped around her waist and he turned his face into her neck, inhaling the comforting scent of her as his throat tightened and he whimpered, "please don't do this," crumbling beneath the thought of her doing something like that to herself and this time it was she that comforted him.

Her fingers found their way into his hair as she pressed a soft kiss to the skin of his neck and replied, "I won't," no doubt feeling the way he practically fell into her all the more with relief, "I promise, I won't."

"Thank you," he whispered, pulling back to pepper kisses all over her face and revelling in the laughter it pulled from her, "thank you, thank you, thank you."

The two behind said nothing when they finally pulled apart and Robin, in turn, said nothing as he took her hand in his own, threading her fingers through his and leading her away from the rooftop with a jaw clenched to keep him from saying anything at all to Snow White when he'd come so close to losing a part of his love.

He would speak to her about it once his anger cooled and he was able to keep a level head but, for now, he was simply happy with the thought of returning home to their boys and beginning their life together. He was going to help Regina see the beauty in herself, no matter how long it took. She was worth it. All of her.


	118. Clean Shaven

He tells her practically every single day that he thinks she's beautiful. It's the first thing she hears when she wakes up, his raspy "Good morning, beautiful," always pulling a sleepy smile from her no matter the hour. He whispers it when she steps bare and freshly showered from the bathroom - she'd always hated being openly nude but with him, and only when the boys are at school or staying out, she finds she enjoys it - before pulling on her clothes for the day and he writes it on every sticky note that adorns the takeout lunch boxes he sends her.

It's murmured in the midst of lovemaking and when he hovers above her in the afterglow, stroking back her hair and pressing languid kisses to her lips. He tells her when she tucks Roland into bed or rocks his daughter back to sleep and when she laughs with Henry before she gets that look on her face that tells Robin how very thankful she is that they'd been able to mend the rift that had formed between them.

He tells her she's beautiful, stunning, gorgeous when her features are skilfully painted or when her face is completely bare. He tells her whenever he can and she absolutely loves it.

She returns the sentiment - along with a bashful eye roll that always has him grinning - tells him how attractive he is, how handsome and how lovely he is - she'd found it harder in the beginning, having never truly had someone to do so with. Daniel had been shy glances and tender, stolen kisses - and she means it. He is absolutely gorgeous, her Robin but there are days when it hits her, when she feels a punch to the gut with just how into him she actually is.

This morning is no exception.

She finds him in the bathroom when she wakes - it's not often that he does so before her - freshly showered with just a towel hanging from his hips – the defined V visible just above has her skin tingling - and white foam slathered over his jaw as he works his razor over his skin. He's taken to shaving his scruff down more than he used to and she'd been a little hesitant about it when he'd first told her what he wanted to do - she loved his beard - but when he'd emerged from the bathroom, all she'd wanted to do was jump him right then and there.

His dimples were more visible this way, his jaw all the more defined and she finds him incredibly sexy either way but there's something about this look that has her knees weakening and heart pounding in her chest.

Robin must feel her eyes on him for he turns to her with a knowing grin, just looking at her sleep mussed hair and puffy eyes for a moment before he extends his hand to her.

She hisses a little when her bare feet press against the cold tile of the bathroom but ignores it when the warmth of his hand envelopes her own and he guides her closer to him. Wordlessly, when her back is pressed to the sink unit and she's looking up at him, he hands her the razor with that gorgeous smirk that only grows when she raises her eyebrows at him.

"Do the honours, beautiful?"

There goes that eye roll as her cheeks tint pink, her outlaw predictably lovely even in this unpredictability but she says yes, nodding to him and carefully taking the blade from his fingers before swiping it as gently and as steadily as she can over his skin with a palm cupping the clean skin of his neck.

She'd thought watching him shave had arousal stirring within her gut, doing the shaving for him has it thrumming through her veins and she can't help but press loving kisses to every inch of freshly shaven, washed skin as it appears to her and if he takes her quickly, lifting her up and onto the bathroom sink unit, before the boys and Scarlett wake well, he'll never hear a complaint from her.


	119. An Unconventional Proposal

It wasn't quite time to wake up when she found herself blinking her eyes open slowly, the sun not quite risen yet though the sky was beginning to lighten ever so. Robin was draped around her, pressed to her back with his leg thrown over the both of hers and his arm slack where it rested over her waist. His lips were against her bare shoulder, deep breaths warm as they washed over her skin. She grinned at the feel of him half hard against her rear.

They'd spent most of last night lost in one another, both a little tipsy from the wine they'd had with their meals and stupidly in love with one another.

It had been Snow who'd suggested that the boys have a weekly sleepover at the apartment - sometimes Emma had them at her house - so that Henry could spend some time with them and Roland could get to know them a little better. He'd taken to calling them 'Grandma' and 'Grandpa' rather quickly. It was sweet really, the Charmings absolutely adored it and it gave Robin and Regina the chance to properly enjoy one another whilst the baby was with Zelena.

They were open with their affections, Regina's fears of losing him far from gone after all that they'd been through - after losing him almost completely - but she'd learned that loving him openly was far better than dodging the gazes of those still not quite convinced of her. Still, with three children - one just about to have their first birthday - and full-time jobs, spending quality time alone together was not always possible. They still found ways to be together physically - backrooms at the diner, her office couch, the Charmings bathroom (that one still had the naughtier part of her cackling internally) - but it was nice to have at least one day a week in which they could be something other than the Mayor and the Deputy Sheriff, in which they could hang up the title of parents and just be Robin and Regina.

Last night had been no exception.

They'd attended the opening of a new bar and restaurant down by the docks, the owner was none other than Robin's best friend and right-hand man, Little John. He'd always been something of an experimenter when it came to their meals, Robin had explained when he'd first told her of John's plans, that he'd always enjoyed cooking for the camp but had never had the opportunity to do much more - Storybrooke had finally given him that.

The place was gorgeous, beautifully furnished and looking much like an upscale tavern. It was comfortable and homely yet still held an air of fine dining and the food had been absolutely to die for. Their meals had been complimentary, despite protests from both Robin and Regina - they'd helped with the funding of the place, offering John a generous donation that he'd been loath to accept. Regina had called it an investment and told him to hush up - as well as their wine. All in all, it had been a wonderful night.

He'd taken her dancing once they'd left the restaurant, tugged on her hand and led her to the bandstand in the park where he'd asked her to conjure some music for them. She'd had just enough sense to keep him from taking her against the railing with how things had progressed from sweet to sensual in the space of one song.

The memory brought a smile to her face as she stretched languidly beneath the covers, completely bare and uncaring for the time being.

Slowly, so as not to wake her sleeping lover, she rotated onto her stomach, folding her arms on her pillow and resting her chin on her forearms as she let her eyes fall over the very handsome and very naked man beside her.

He was still deep in sleep despite having rolled him onto his back with her shifting and she couldn't help but allow her eyes to trail slowly over him. He was absolutely gorgeous and the knowledge that he loved her, that he was hers just as much as she was his, had her stomach flipping pleasantly.

It was only as she shifted to curl the fingers of her left hand around her bicep that she caught the sparkle in the forefront of her vision and completely froze. It was a ring, a diamond ring sitting prettily on her ring finger as though it had always been there.

Her lips parted on a soft gasp as she lifted both her head and her hand to see the ring better, heart pounding in her chest because…what did this mean?

They'd talked about marriage a hundred times over, questions from friends and their family alike that they'd answered with warm smiles and ' _We'll do so when we're good and ready'._

Were they ready now?

Her stomach flipped at the thought of marriage, her first having been so terrible and confining…but Robin wasn't Leopold, not even close to being. He loved her, he respected her. They were partners and, in all honesty, what would be so different? Sure, there would be signed proof of their commitment to one another but already they lived together, raised their children together and loved one another completely - marriage would only strengthen that union.

Next came the thoughts of their wedding, of walking down that aisle on the arm of her son – because, of course, she'd ask Henry to perform such an honour - towards Robin. Would he cry? Would she? She was quite sure that she would and dancing together, once they'd exchanged vows and made their way to the wedding reception, what would that feel like? They'd press close to one another beneath the stars and dance like no one was watching them. The image her mind conjured brought a soft smile to her face.

"You're thinking awfully loud, my love," Robin whispered gruffly, pulling Regina's attention to him and away from her ring.

Her heart filled with affection the moment she caught sight of the tentative hope in those kind blue eyes, he was absolutely terrified of her answer. "Then you'll know already that I would love nothing more than to be your wife."

His breath caught in his throat as his lips parted gently, eyes looking between her own as he asked, "Is that a yes?"

She shook her head on a wet chuckle, pulling herself closer to him until she was practically laying on top of him before she leaned down to press her lips to his. "You silly outlaw," she whispered against his mouth between kisses, "of course I'll marry you."


	120. Surprise

"Wher-"

"Last room on the left," the nurse supplies instantly and with a small smile that calms him somewhat, "the Princess is with her."

"Thank you."

She's sitting on the bed, arms folded across her gown covered chest with a stubborn frown creasing her forehead as she studiously ignores Snow's attempts at making conversation and stares out of the window. She looks absolutely adorable. He winces though when he notices the slowly darkening bruise forming on her temple and steps into the room unannounced in his need to comfort both himself and, more importantly, her.

Her dark eyes find him quickly, a relieved sigh falling from her lips as she exclaims, "Finally!" and then, "can you please tell these idiots that I'm perfectly fine and to allow me the dignity of returning home?"

"What happened?" Snow had told him on the phone, he vaguely remembers her words but he'd practically shut off the moment she'd mentioned Regina's name and the hospital. Her skin is warm beneath his palm when he curls it around her forearm and uses his free hand to gently tuck her hair behind her ear to better look at her injured head and that soothes him. She's okay, clearly hurt enough to warrant a trip here but, otherwise, she's okay.

"The princess overreacted, as usual, that's what."

"Regina," Snow looks at her pointedly, "when I come in to find you knocked out cold on the floor, I do not think that my calling an ambulance is an overreaction."

"It most certainly is not," Robin frowns, looking from Snow to Regina again, his eyebrows raised at her petulant pout. He'd never demand answers of her though so, instead, he shakes his head and plants a cautiously tender kiss to Regina's hair, wrapping his arm around her frame when she leans heavily against him as though in relief. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

"You're here now."

Snow watches them for a long moment, a gentle smile on her face before letting out a tired sigh and standing. "I should get back to the boys."

"Do they-"

"No," she assures Regina kindly, "I thought that it was your story to share if you so wished."

Regina nods, her weight resting more fully against Robin as she thanks the Princess and watches her leave.

"Will you tell me what happened now?" he asks in a way that lets her know she doesn't have to if she really doesn't wish it, his hand trailing soothing lines up and down her upper arm as his lips remain in her hair.

She sighs and he knows it's her stubborn pride that's keeping her from telling him but, as she's told him before, he's her 'person' and she loves having someone to share not only her body and her heart with but her mind, her fears, her hopes, her dreams. "I was trying to string lights around the living room and I fell."

"You were-" his hand stills its movements over her soft skin as he pulls back enough to look at her, "what ever were you doing that for?"

Her eyes drop to his stomach as she takes her bottom lip between her teeth and worries at it for a long moment before confessing, "I was trying to do something special for you," and before he can ask just why she thought she had to do that, she answers for him, "you're always surprising me with romantic gestures and spoiling me and it just occurred to me that I never do that for you and I don't want you to think that I don't want to do those things for you because I do, it's just I've never had a love like ours, one that wasn't hidden and one so adult and healthy so it doesn't occur to me to do those kind of things and I hate that-"

He cuts her off with a tender kiss to her lips, making sure to cup her jaw with gentle palms, their mouths parting with a gentle pop after a long moment.

"I hate that you might think that I don't wan-"

He cuts her off again with a kiss, laughing against her lips when he feels her breathe out one of her own and cutting her off a third time with a longer and deeper kiss that has her whimpering into his mouth and clutching at his elbows to keep him close to her. He brings the kiss to a slow stop before pressing a kiss to her nose and then her forehead, tilting his head to dust his lips over her bruised skin once more before returning to her lips and tilting his forehead against her own. "You are far more than enough for me, Regina," he tells her in an intimate whisper, his eyes closed just as hers are, "and not once have I ever doubted your love for me."

"I know, but-"

"Am I going to need to take you right here on this bed in front of the entire hospital staff just to keep you from doubting yourself any longer?"

"I wouldn't be opposed."

He grins, letting out a low chuckle as he shakes his head against her own, "I bet you wouldn't." He takes a moment, when their laughter subsides, to just stroke a palm over her soft cheek and breathe her in before he tells her, "I am quite serious though, I would rather have you healthy and safe over pretty lights any day, my darling."

She nods, sighing against his lips before murmuring, "There was going to be wine and chocolates too."

"And I'm sure they'll taste just as wonderful in bed, burrowed beneath your lovely thick duvet and feather pillows." He takes her smile as a small victory before his curiosity gets the better of him and he asks, "Why didn't you just use your magic anyway?"

"Because you don't have magic and still you do those wonderfully romantic things for me," she sighs, "I wanted to do the same for you."

His heart melts at her gentle confession and he can't help but tilt his face to capture her lips once more in a tender kiss that he hopes conveys his utter adoration of her before he whispers, "You really are the sweetest, my love."

"Yes well," she replies, "I'm sure I'll be even sweeter later when you're licking melted chocolate from my naked body."

He groans, tilting his forehead heavier against her own before he practically moans, "I'm sure you will."


	121. Shower Sex

**Very M-Rated**

He swallowed her eager little moans, reveling in the delicious way she was reacting to his fingers as he moved his tongue in slow passes over her own and continued drawing gently teasing circles upon her swollen clit. They'd never showered together before but now that they had, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to do so alone again.

Her nipples were pebbled, hard against his chest as he pressed closer to her, tilting his head to deepen the kiss even further, pulling another deep groan from her. "Remind me why we've never done this before," he breathed against her lips, moving his fingers a little faster against her bundle of nerves and gripping at her waist with his free hand when her legs threatened to give way with the sensations coursing through her.

"Oh…" she moaned, eyes closed and brows furrowed, "because we're idiots."

He covered her mouth with his own once more just as he slipped his fingers through her slick folds and pushed into her. "God," he dropped his forehead to her neck for a moment as he pulled out and pushed slowly in once more, "you feel amazing, my love."

"M-more," she panted breathlessly, rolling her hips into his hand, legs buckling when she grinded her clit against his palm, "I need more, Robin."

He suckled at the join of her neck and shoulder before lifting his head to brush his nose against her own, "How much more, my sweet?" He licked at her upper lip, chuckling when her mouth opened but denying her the kiss she wanted, "tell me what you want."

"Your cock," she breathed against his lips, her desperation for him evident in her tone, in the way her hands rose to clutch at his biceps, nails digging into the skin, "I want your cock inside of me. I want to feel you moving within me." And then, as dark eyes flashed open and found his own, she practically growled, "I want you to fuck me like a damn animal, Robin."

And well, who was he to deny her that.


	122. Grandbabies - Part 1

"We need to give her back to them at some point," Robin chuckled as he came to stand behind his wife, arms wrapping around her waist and his chin coming to rest on her shoulder so he too could gaze at the little bundle in her arms.

Regina rocked gently from side to side as she traced a gentle finger down the graceful slope of their granddaughter's nose as she mused "Well what we need to do and what we are going to do are two very different things, you see."

"Is that so?" He chuckled into her ear, nostalgia strong within him at the feeling of standing behind her, looking down upon a precious babe cradled in her arms. They'd had their children - one adopted, two birthed by different mothers and one born to Regina herself - and he wasn't particularly broody but, then again, the sight of his wife with a baby, looking so beautifully maternal, always touched a spot within his heart.

She giggled as Hayley's lips parted to close around the finger that she was trying to guide to her little mouth. "It is so."

"Well, in that case" he nuzzled into her neck, eyes still on their granddaughter just as Regina's were, "I'll create a distraction whilst you make a break for it out the back," he pressed a kiss to her shoulder as she chuckled in his arms, "Granny's speed isn't what it used to be."

"I heard that."

He startled to find the old wolf much closer than he'd first believed, Regina's laughter only increasing as he muttered a low "Sorry," before turning his attention back to his two girls. "Still," he whispered this time, "I think we could take her."

"I still heard that."

He chuckled with his wife this time and merely sighed into her ear, "Looks like our plans have been scuppered, my darling." And then, when he lifted his eyes, he continued "Plus, I think Emma may cry if she doesn't get to hold our little Hayley Bear soon."

Regina turned only her head to look at him, a pout on those lovely lips as she whined "I want to keep her!"

He chuckled, leaning forward enough to press his lips to her cheek before he promised "We'll have her stay as soon as she's able to feed from a bottle."

Her frown only deepened at that but she nodded before turning to find the blonde slowly inching closer. "Oh, just come here you idiot."

The glee that lit emerald eyes had Robin choking back a laugh as he watched Emma bound forward and scoop the baby from Regina's arms, instantly cooing nonsense to her and making her way back towards her own husband, leaving a rather bereft looking Regina behind.

He unhooked his arms from her waist to rub gentle palms up and down her upper arms, loving the way she leaned back into him even as she continued watching Emma's back.

"We'll have her back, soon enough" he promised her, pressing another kiss to her cheek when she remained silent before he began smirking and leaned forward enough to whisper "but in the meantime, how's about we go on back to the bathroom and make another one of our own?"

"You will do nothing of the sort!" came Granny's booming voice from the other side of the room, both startling and confusing the dwarves stood nearby who's hearing clearly didn't reach to where they stood.

Regina ignored the old woman however and, instead, turned in Robin's arms with wide eyes as she asked "You'd have more?"

He grinned, palms still tickling up and down her arms as she stilled, facing him. "With you?" He leaned forward to peck her lips, "I'd have a whole yard full, my darling."


	123. Grandbabies - Part 2

"Is he nice?" Hayley asked around the thumb in her mouth from her place on Regina's lap, leaning back against her chest and growing uncharacteristically quiet despite having been practically vibrating with excitement only moments ago. It was the first Christmas that she really, truly understood what it all meant and Regina was practically beside herself.

"He's very nice, Hayley Bear," Henry chuckled, readjusting Oliver's soft beanie hat as he squirmed in the crook of his father's arm, "you'll see."

She nodded, soft blonde curls bouncing gently that Regina couldn't help but loop a finger through. "You don't seem convinced, sweetheart."

Hayley inhaled a deep breath before slowly removing her thumb from her mouth with a soft pop before she sat forward and twisted enough on her grandmother's lap to see her. Her brow furrowed, her little eyes troubled as she asked quietly, "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh, my darling," she chuckled, unable to help herself with the flush of adoration that ran through her, arms circling her granddaughter's waist as she dropped a kiss atop her head. "He is going to love you just as much as we do, you sweet girl."

It was in that moment, just as Regina pulled back from Hayley, that the man in question came bounding through the living room door with a great, "Ho, ho, ho!" that echoed and carried around the room.

Regina grinned over at Henry and Violet as Hayley gasped atop her lap and cried, "Santa!" She was achingly adorable.

"Well hello there, Hayley."

She gasped again, little hands lifting to cover her mouth before she whispered, "You know my name?" causing all four adults in the room to chuckle.

"I most certainly do," 'Santa' moved closer, lowering himself to kneel in front of Hayley and Regina with a forearm balanced across his knee. "I make sure to learn the names of all the good little children." His blue eyes met Regina's over Hayley's head for a brief second but it was enough to have her cheeks colouring as she laughed softly and hugged her granddaughter a little tighter to her. "Have you thought about what you want for Christmas, little one?"

She nodded instantly, before climbing off of Regina's lap and onto 'Santa's' when he asked, leaving the brunette reaching for her grandson and pulling a laugh from both Henry and Violet. "What?" she asked as she took the sleepy baby from her son's arms, instantly tucking him into the crook of her elbow and beaming down at him.

"I'm beginning to think you're worse than Emma when it comes to our kids."

"They're my grandbabies," she defended needlessly as she drew gentle patterns over the 3 month old's soft clothing, "what do you expect?"

They both laughed once more before turning to regard Hayley when she excitedly exclaimed that they were allowed to eat some of the cookies they'd been making that morning for Santa. Both adults looked to Regina for permission that she gave with a nod before pulling themselves up and off the sofa and allowing their daughter to drag them towards the kitchen, leaving 'Santa' and Regina alone with Oliver dozing in her arms.

"Giving away a hard-working man's cookies, hm?"

Robin chuckled before letting out a weary groan as he pushed his old body up from the floor and moved closer to his wife and grandson. "He's not so fond of biscuits," he told her with a lopsided grin, his hands moving so that one rested flat on her lower back and the other on her stomach as he pressed his front to her side and whispered, "he much prefers kisses."

She let out a breathy laugh through her nose as her eyebrows raised and she asked, "He does, does he?"

"Yes," he grinned, nudging her nose with his own, tilting his head to brush his lips over hers, "he does."

She smiled all the way through the kiss, mindful as he was of the sleeping baby in her arms, before she couldn't help but laugh.

"What?"

She shook her head, pulling back enough to catch his questioning gaze as she replied, "Your beard tickles."

It was rather spectacular, the beard that he'd gotten with his costume, thick and cloud-like and she could barely see his lips beneath the itchy material but he was smiling, she could tell by his eyes as he leaned in once more and teased, "Get over it," before capturing her lips once more for a deep and lingering kiss.

"Daddy?" came a small voice from the corridor, followed by Henry's _Yes, sweetheart?_ "Why's Grandma kissing Santy Clause?"


	124. Overheard Confessions

She chuckled against his mouth, her palm warm where it curled around his cheek as he supported himself with hands on her bent knees. "I'll be up soon," she whispered, stealing another lingering kiss despite the woman opposite barely even trying to occupy herself with something other than them.

He traced his nose the length of her own, pressing a kiss to the end before coming back the way he came and knocking the tip of his nose against hers. "Promise?"

Her laughter was nothing more than a soft exhalation through her nose as she nodded slightly and repeated, "Promise."

His wonderfully kind blue eyes moved between her own for a long moment, creased in the corners with his expression before he caught her lips in one last kiss – bussing them one, two, three times afterwards for the very fact that he couldn't help himself – before he pulled back with a heavy sigh and a warm, "See you soon," to Regina.

Snow's smile was wide and not at all subtle when Robin stepped around the coffee table to relieve her of the sleeping weight of his daughter, pressing a kiss to her cheek before thanking her for coming by with the gifts for the baby – _they're just a few of Neal's old things that I thought you could get more use out of –_ and wishing her goodnight and goodbye.

Both women watched as he left the room, padding slowly with almost silent bare feet so as not to jostle and wake Ruby, their eyes never leaving his back until he was no longer visible and they could hear the creak of the stairs as he ascended. Even then it was Snow that looked away first, turning to find Regina still beaming at the empty doorway.

"You are absolutely smitten."

The brunette turned with eyebrows raised – her expression almost brilliantly neutral but the glint in her eyes was unmistakable – no words leaving her pursed lips for, though she wasn't one for sharing too much of what she felt, she wasn't going to deny the fact.

"He's a good man, Regina," she grinned as she leaned forward enough to grab her mug from the coffee table and take the last few mouthfuls before placing it down once more, "I'm glad you found it in you to let him in, in the end."

"I honestly don't think I could have made any other choice," Regina admitted softly, pulling her legs a little tighter beneath her as though for protection from what her confession would bring with it, "nothing seemed right without him, _I_ didn't feel right without him."

Snow's brow furrowed softly, "Is it the soul mate thing?"

"I think that's certainly a part of it," Regina nodded, eyes on the hands in her lap as she fought to find the right words, "but even without that, I think I always would've been drawn to him, no matter what fate or destiny had in store for us. He just… _fits_ me."

Snow's smile returned as she replied, "Anyone can see that," and then, because she just couldn't help but ask, "do you love him?"

After a lingering moment in which Regina considered not answering at all, she finally nodded subtly before admitting softly, "More than I ever thought it possible to love another that wasn't my own son."

"That's wonderful, Regina," Snow grinned, hands raising to press fingertips to her obscenely wide smile as tears filled her doe eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm just…I'm so happy for you."

"And whilst I do appreciate that," the brunette chuckled as she shifted to unfold her legs and press her feet flat upon the ground, "I'm afraid that I need to be getting upstairs to bed."

"To the man you love," Snow prompted as she stood from the sofa.

It pulled a chuckle from Regina as she grabbed the baby monitor from the coffee table, reminding herself to take it upstairs with her, before she replied, "Yes Snow," and then, "to the man I love. Now gush on your way out of here, okay?"

"Okay," the younger woman chuckled before she moved to embrace Regina in a hug that was returned with a warmth she had longed to feel for so very long. "Call me soon, we'll go for lunch."

"I will," Regina promised as she pulled back and looked at her former step-daughter, "now get the hell out of my house."

Snow's hands came up in mock surrender, "Consider me gone," before she gave Regina one last giddy smile and turned, moving towards the front door.

Regina's eyes rolled affectionately as she flicked the living room light off and made her way to the bottom of the stairs, surrendering the cleaning for the morning as she yawned softly and raised a foot to the first step only to be halted by the sound of the baby monitor in her hand crackling to life. With a frown, she stared down at the thing, sure that it hadn't been on earlier. It was only a long second later that she heard Robin's voice as he told her, "I love you too, my darling."

She gasped. He'd heard her confession.

"Now come upstairs and let me show you just how much."


	125. Seeing is Believing

She had a palm over her eyes as she sobbed, quiet little things in comparison to the healthy wails of their new-born daughter. She was here. Regina had done it.

Robin was crying too, she could hear it in his voice as he whispered soothing words to their baby.

He drew closer to her bed, laughing wondrously as he spoke. "She's beautiful, Regina. She has your mouth."

That only had her crying harder.

"Sweetheart," he cooed, curling a palm over her bent knee and circling the blanket covered leg with a thumb, "would you like to meet her?"

"She's not real" she cried wetly, choking on a sob as her head shook, "she's not real." She'd managed to hold it together through most of her pregnancy, had quietened the dark, dark voices that whispered that she'd never carry to term, that their baby would never grow fully in her belly but now that she was here, she was terrified that it wasn't true and her hideous mind was playing a cruel trick on her.

It felt real though, especially when she felt a small weight on her chest and allowed Robin to place her free hand on the soft cotton covering their daughter's back. She only cried harder at the feeling of warmth beneath her palm. "Open your eyes, Regina."

"I can't."

Lips pressed to her sweaty brow and she couldn't help but tilt her head towards him, seeking comfort even as she held their daughter safe on her chest. She was wriggling slightly, no doubt wanting to explore this new world and it only had the fear in Regina's heart growing stronger. "You've just brought our daughter into the world," he whispered adoringly, lips brushing her skin, "you can do absolutely anything, my love."

She swallowed against the lump in her throat and took a moment just to draw all of the comfort she could from Robin before, slowly, she began removing her hand from over her eyes.

A little lump lay upon her chest, eyes open and roaming about the side of the room that she could see as tiny fingers curled against Regina's skin.

The brunette gasped wetly and began sobbing once more but this time it was in relief. "She's real."

Robin chuckled softly as he dropped his lips to her hair and breathed "She is."

"She's so tiny," Roland breathed over Henry's shoulder. He was standing on the bed behind his big brother with his side pressed to Regina's upper arm and his hands on Henry's shoulders. Henry was sat by Regina's hip with the baby cradled in his arms.

"You were that small once, my boy" Robin chuckled, pulling Regina in tighter to his side and smiling at the way her head fell to rest tiredly against the side of his neck. "Henry too."

"And you, Papa?"

He grinned at his son, "Yes, my boy."

Roland's lips parted in awe before he asked, "Regina too?"

"Mom's still very little," Henry piped up with eyes still on his sister despite the grin curling his lips as his mother gave a sleepy _"Hey!"_ that held no heat.

"He's right, my love," Robin joined the teasing, rubbing his palm up and down the length of her arm, "you're practically pocket-sized."

"I am not!" she protested even as her eyelids drooped heavier over her eyes.

"It's okay, Regina," Roland assured her rather seriously, noticing the way she was fighting to remain awake and savour this moment, "we'll look after you both."

She chuckled sleepily and nuzzled further into Robin as she asked "Promise?" and was almost asleep before she heard all three of her boys reply softly _"Promise."_


	126. Sacrifice

TW: Major Character Death

"I don't want you to go…" Henry whispered, his forehead pressing heavier against her own as he curled his fingers tighter around her wrists, feeling the way her nails dug as hard as she could allow without hurting him into the skin of his cheeks. She was crying silently, her brow creased and her breaths harsh and sharp as they blew between her teeth. "It's not your time."

"It is, baby" she replied, words strained with the tightness of her throat. She couldn't explain it to him, couldn't get the thoughts straight in her head because now that she was here, with her son sobbing and begging her to stay, she found herself unable to let him go. She had to though, "I have to, Henry."

He was trembling though it was nothing to do with the bitter cold of the early morning air as his legs shook beneath him. "What am I supposed to do without you? What am I supposed to do without my Mom?"

Regina whimpered as she drew the strength to pull back, swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat. She felt absolutely sick to her stomach. "You'll live and you'll grow and you'll be happy, my boy" his eyes looked as sore as her own, tears still streaming without end down his cheeks, replacing every salty drop that she wiped away with her thumb.

"I can't be happy without you."

Her head tilted as she choked on a sob and stroked through his hair, tasting her own tears on her bottom lip. "You have to promise me to try, Henry." She shook her head, "I can't do this knowing that it will only hurt you further."

"Then _stay_ " he cried helplessly, "you don't have to-"

"You know I do, sweetheart." Her chin trembled, "it's the only way."

They hadn't quite exhausted every option available to them but, with the growing number of fatalities under her other half's palm, Regina had taken it into her own hands to cast the beginnings of the spell to re-join them as one but, in doing so, the trauma on her heart and on her soul would be too much for her living body to handle. Gold had been right when he'd said that she would have to die to defeat the Queen. She'd only hoped it hadn't been true.

The rest of the town, those brave enough to have helped in the capture of the Queen – she stood, snarling viciously and held tight both by Emma's magic and Charming's strength – were all standing by and watching as the Mayor said goodbye to her son. Not a dry eye in sight.

"But-" Henry choked "what will happen to you?"

She couldn't lie to him, "I don't know, sweetheart."

He sobbed harder, "I don't want you to be alone, Mom."

She moved to answer him, to tell her sweet boy not to worry about her – in all honesty, she was quite scared herself even having welcomed death so many times – when she was interrupted by a gentle voice beside her.

"She will never be alone."

Instantly their heads turned, both letting out a loud gasp at the man standing with the calmest of smiles, an ethereal glow lighting his silhouette.

"Robin" Regina choked with her hands still holding Henry's face, "how are yo-"

"I'm here to help you go, my love" he explained softly, coming to stand before both herself and Henry and landing a palm upon Henry's shoulder. The boy gasped at the sensation she herself had only felt once before – the warmth of a hand you couldn't truly feel – as Robin continued "I'm here to take you with me."

"But" she stuttered, "I-I thought-"

"It seems Hades lied to us all."

"You'll be with her?" Henry asked, fingers slipping from Regina's wrist to hold her hand when she let her arms lower.

Robin's peaceful gaze fell upon him as he nodded, looking back to Regina before replying "always."

There was a moment, when everything seemed to fall silent – even the Queen's thrashing had stilled as she stared upon the man before her other half – when all anyone could do was watch the scene that was unfolding before them and then, with all of the strength he possessed, Henry pulled his mother's attention back to him.

"You are the bravest person I've ever known," he cried, curling his fingers tighter around her own as he fought to get the words out, "and I hope to honour you."

"Oh you do, my boy" Regina sobbed, pulling him against her chest, "every single day." She kissed the top of his head, "I love you, Henry. You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

He wrapped his arms tight around her waist. "I love you too, Mom. Thank you for choosing me."

"I would do it again in a heartbeat."

* * *

It felt as though the very thing that had been missing clicked back into place the moment she aligned her body with the Queen's, the spell allowing them to meld back into one and it was only for a moment, the feeling of complete euphoria she felt, but it was felt. Seconds later though, her legs were giving out beneath her as she fell to the ground with a sharp cry. Her heart rate was slowing already.

Henry was at one side of her whilst Snow was at the other, Emma and David having stepped back to give them the space and the time they needed as both cried over the fallen woman.

They lay her back gently, Henry quickly pulling his jacket off to cushion her head as she smiled weakly up at him before turning her gaze to Snow and lifting a palm to her cheek. "No matter how begrudged," she breathed out, "I have always loved you," and when Snow only cried harder and tilted her head further into Regina's hand, she finished fondly "silly girl."

The younger woman laughed wetly and pressed her palm to the back of Regina's hand, watching as her eyes fell upon Henry once more.

Her breaths were growing harder to find as her heart slowed further but she felt no pain, only that of seeing her son so very sad as he kneeled beside her. "Be brave, sweet one." She smiled, "I will always be with you."

Her eyes flickered closed slowly though her smile remained, even through her last, rattled breath. She was gone.


	127. Champagne Flutes

"Okay," he began with a heavy sigh that spoke of his nerves, "I promised myself and my wife," he looked down to a beaming Regina before chuckling " _God,_ I love saying that," which earned a hearty chorus of laughter from their guests as he used his free hand to take a hold of hers and laced their fingers, "that I wouldn't make this too long and I'm going to stick to that but first I want to share a little something with all of you," he looked to Regina and smiled down at her, biting his lip as he confessed "including you, my love."

She cocked her head in gentle question, that beautiful smile never falling from her lips – he was quite sure nothing could dampen their spirits this evening – as his grin widened and he began.

"Not too long ago, on a quiet evening, I was sought out by a young man looking to protect the woman he loved most," he cut off, looking down the head table to where Emma sat, her golden curls flowing free about the champagne hued chiffon of her bridesmaid dress, "or, at least, _one_ of them," she smiled at him gratefully and lifted a hand to rest upon Henry's shoulder as Regina's thumb rubbed over his fingers in thanks. "He took me aside and instead of asking or, as I had been expecting, _threatening_ me not to hurt his mother lest he kill me with his own bare hands," another round of laughter as Regina glanced back to her boy with that special smile only they shared, "Henry asked me why it was that I loved his mother," when she turned back, he amended "why it is that I _love_ his mother."

He looked to the faces of those they loved most; his men, the Charmings, the women of Regina's past who'd only ever wanted this moment for her – he was quite sure Maleficent had conveniently angled Lily in front of her to hide her tears – and found his nerves began to dissipate.

"It took me a moment – not to find a reason, you understand," he looked back down to his beautiful bride, big brown eyes tear filled and sparkling as she smiled up at him, "but because the answer is so vast, so very endless," he unlaced their fingers to cup her soft cheek with his palm, "that I fear I still would've had Henry sat on that darkened porch even now listing the reasons."

Regina lifted her hand to curl lean fingers around his wrist as she swallowed thickly.

"I didn't give Henry much more than the reasoning of how could I not love his mother but tonight, I thought, why not try to list at least a few."

He turned in place, bending enough to take the piece of paper from his boy's hands when Roland took his cue and stepped up, taking a moment to press a kiss to Regina's smiling cheek – the room _aw_ 'd – before he took his seat again and all attention fell upon Robin once more. The most important being Regina's.

"You've had me enthralled from the very first moment that we met and I don't think I've ever truly told you why." He took her hand again and began, "I love your temper and that fire that rages within you, never truly diminished and always alight. I love the fierceness with which you protect those that you love; myself, my son and my daughter – our son and our daughter – included. I love the melodies you hum – from this world and from our own – when you're in the shower or washing the dishes or rocking our girl to sleep. I love those little strands of hair that never stay where you want them to and give me another excuse just to touch you. I love the way you kiss, your beautiful lips and the words that fall from them. I love your mind in all of its vast and endless glory. I love that you don't need me but that you choose to have me anyway. I love how much a small compliment can pull from you, how it always surprises you and has those cheeks flaming pink just as they are now," he laughed with Regina and the rest of the room, revelling in her reaction before he continued.

"I love when you come home from doing the wondrous things that you do for this town, _wearing_ the wondrous things that you do," he pauses and chuckles at his men's hollering and allows Regina to let her head drop shyly to their joined hands before continuing, "and you disappear upstairs before reappearing a few moments later wearing the simplest of clothes, padding about the house in your yoga pants and thick socks with your hair pulled back and face free of make-up in search of the children because you've missed them, looking just as beautiful as before. I love how much you love them and how much you love me."

"I love finding you asleep on the couch after I've put said children to sleep because," he turned to glance at the crowd once more, "despite how great and powerful my wife is," he turned back to her, "she's human too." Her smile softened. "I love that you wear socks to bed and no matter how high they're pulled over your ankle or how still you are in my arms all night," he shook his head, "one always manages to fall off and find its way up the bed and onto my head." Her shoulders shook with her chuckle, "and I love that I get to see all of these wonderful things and more every day for the rest of my life."

"You, Regina Mills-Locksley, are my world, my life, my love and my soul mate and I ask all of you," he turned to look at the now standing crowd and raised his champagne flute up, "to raise a glass to my wife. To Regina."

 _"_ _To Regina."_


	128. Chapter 128

"What are you-" she laughed breathily when he caught her hand and pulled her through the hidden door they'd found a year prior at a ball just like the one they were at now, shivering a little at the change in temperature but grinning all the same. In all honesty, she'd been hoping that he'd drag her away from the dire men she'd been forced to dance with by her suitor-hunting mother. Her amusement faded, however, when he stopped them halfway down the long and winding passageway and turned with an expression that had her stomach dropping. "What's wrong?"

"We don't have long."

"Long for what?" she asked, her own brow furrowing as she looked to him for explanation. "Robin," she lifted a hand and placed it to his chest, resting over his heart as she told him, "you're scaring me."

It seemed a subconscious decision when his hand came to cover hers, holding it in place with a thumb rubbing over her skin, as he shook his head. "She's made a decision, Regina."

"She-" her head tilted, her forehead creasing even further, "she who? I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Your mother!" It was just short of a cry, sense kicking in before he gave away the only secret they'd ever managed to keep. "She's chosen the lech to marry you off to."

"No…" Her eyes widened with horror, bile rising in her throat as she stammered, "I-I thought I'd have more t-time, I'm not ready!"

"I know," his time softened as he lifted his free hand to cup the back of her head and pull her to his chest, extricating his other to wrap around her sobbing frame as he held her close, "I know, Regina, and I'll make sure that you never have to be if it's not what you want."

Her head tilted up at that, brow furrowed once more. "What do you mean?"

He stroked his hand through the hair at her temple, smiling gently down at her before confessing, "Little John is waiting by the stables with our horses and a bag filled with only the essentials," he continued as she merely stared up at him, "I've been saving the money I've earned in the tavern for weeks now, I had wanted to collect more before we left but it seems we'll just have to make do."

Her lips parted as though she was going to speak before it shut again, her eyes moving frantically between his own as she tried to understand just what was happening. "Y-you want me to run away with you?"

Robin nodded, heart pounding in his chest. "I want nothing more than your happiness and your freedom, Regina." His head shook as he breathed a heavy sigh, "I know I'm not deserving of someone like you and I don't ever expect to be so if it means I take you as far as you want to go with me and you continue alone, then I will do so." He stroked those fingers through her hair once more, "I won't let you die here, Regina."

Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she looked to the entrance of the secret passageway, a single tear falling. "I've never disobeyed my mother before," not like this anyway.

Robin chuckled softly, drawing her gaze back to his with a finger beneath her chin as he leaned in closer and whispered, "Then I'd say it's high time that you did so, just once."

It was quite the scandal, talked about around the entire kingdom in hushed whispers when it was discovered that the young Princess who'd been promised to marry widowed King Leopold had vanished without a trace. Many believed her to be kidnapped, others thought her mother to have snapped - all knew of Cora's temper - and killed her out of rage and some merely shrugged and paid no mind to the gossipmongers of the village.

There were only three, however, that knew the truth and only one left in the kingdom at all.

Little John had watched as his best friend and the Princess had fixed their things atop one horse before deciding to ride together atop the other with arms wrapped tight around one another and smiles as bright at the soon to be rising sun at the prospect of what lay before them.

He'd asked them to promise that they wouldn't stop until they found a better life for themselves, a good and happy life and they'd agreed wholeheartedly before sharing one single - first - soft kiss and setting off for a new life together.

A life of complete freedom.


	129. Evil Believer - Part 1

"What's this for?" he asked. They weren't sitting on the concrete floor of the pier, this time situated atop the bench. He sat on top of the back with his feet resting on the seat whilst she sat with her legs folded and upper arm pressed against his shin.

The ring remained within the fingers she had resting on his lap, a simple gold band that glittered in the street lamp light. "It was something we lost quite some time ago."

He looked to her with a furrowed brow, clarifying "'we' meaning you and my mom?"

She hummed in affirmation. "It was the last piece of magic we had left to use before the curse broke."

"How did you get it back?"

She laughed humourlessly, "how else?" and then, rather darkly, "the imp."

He gave her a moment, just watched as she studied the ring closely with a sadness in her eyes that he knew rather well now. "Was it Daniel's?"

She nodded but only sniffled in reply, fighting back her tears with a furrowed brow before she lightly cleared her throat and explained "I don't know what's going to happen, Henry. I can't say what the outcome of all of this is going to be but I know that" she swallowed thickly, "if either I or both of us are to be taken from you," she squeezed at his knee with her free hand for comfort when he shook his head, eyes closing as he fought back tears at the thought, "then both myself and Regina would want you to have this, okay?"

"It's not going to happen."

"But it could, Henry" she implored him to understand, "I'm not saying this to upset you."

He sighed heavily, "I know."

She looked at him for a long moment, smiling softly when he held out his palm for the ring and when it curled around the metal, she placed both of her hands over his fist and laid her head atop it on his lap. "I love you, Henry."

He curled over himself to rest his head atop hers, "I love you too, Mom."

No matter what was to happen, at least they had this.


	130. Evil Believer - Part 2

It's become something of an unspoken tradition now, finding her here like this. Her legs are crossed and her focus is on the piece of rope she's pulling apart with her fingers and he ponders again at the thought that she's rather childlike in her ways, this version of his mother. She teases and she taunts and her tantrums are earth shaking but at the centre of it all, she wishes just for attention and, he thinks, affection.

Again, she says nothing when he moves to sit beside her, doesn't move to acknowledge him but he doesn't need her to. She always knows when he's close by - she always has.

He frowns at the tear that trails down the side of her nose, watches as it drips and darkens the velvet of her dress. She's not as she had been earlier when she'd found him in the backyard.

"I kissed Rumple."

"Ew!"

She laughs at his exclamation but it's still sad.

"I thought you hated each other?"

"At one point I despised him," she confessed, still picking at the rope, "but there's always been a pull between us."

He could understand that he supposed, "the darkness?" even though the thought of his mother - because he's closer to accepting it now - kissing his grandfather was disgusting.

She hummed sadly, "I suppose so."

Her throat bobbed with her thick swallow and he doesn't like it, prefers when she's excited even if it does mean she's usually up to something so he asks, "was it really that bad?" and feels a swell of pride when it does pull a laugh from her, even if her tears continue.

Her bottom lip trembles then as she sways closer to him and rests her upper arm along the length of his own, her temple falling to his. "It just reminded me of what I no longer have."

His brow furrows, even as he leans heavier against her "and you want that with Grandpa?"

"No," she chuckles wetly, "no, I was just…"

"Lonely?" he supplies gently, lifting his arm to allow hers to loop through when she prods gently at the small gap. Her other arm moves across her body to loop through, holding him to her as though she's afraid that he'll leave now that she's being so open. He won't.

"Lonely is a good word."

"But not a good feeling."

She sighs heavily, eyes on the setting sun and frayed rope forgotten in her lap in favour of contact with him. "No, Henry" she tightens her hold on him, "it's not."


	131. Evil Believer - Part 3

Her head was in his lap, dark hair trailing over his thighs and curling upon the grass covered ground as tears trailed from her eyes and down her temples into her dark locks. She was staring at the sky, chin trembling as she bit at her lip to keep it from wobbling as well. They'd been here, sitting in the dark park, swallowed by the silence, for the past hour and still he didn't know what had happened to set her off this time. He'd known though, the moment her forlorn expression had appeared like a faded photograph in his bathroom mirror, to come here. She needed him.

She held one of his hands in between the two she had resting on her abdomen and he could feel the way it shook every now and again when she was unable to keep herself from doing so. He'd seen her cry a hundred times over - all but three times when she was a part of his mother - but this time was different. It was getting close to the end, he could tell. What kind of 'end' it was going to be, he didn't know but it was coming, he could feel it.

"Why am I crying?" she laughed humourlessly, lifting one hand to wipe at her tears but keeping a tight grip on his with the other. "I'm not even sad!"

"You are, and you have every right to be."

"I lost any right to self-pity a long time ago, Henry." She let her hand fall atop his again, glancing to find him frowning down at her, troubled, before looking back to the stars, her lip trembling once more.

It angered him, that she even existed outside of his mother's body - it had taken him a while to actually identify that anger but when he'd realised, it had finally made sense - and he knew, despite all that had happened, despite all that she'd done, she was hurt. "She shouldn't have split herself."

"What?" she tried to tease through a tight throat, "You don't like having me around anymore?"

He laughed despite the vulnerability beneath her words before telling her, "You know that's not what I mean."

"I do."

He tightened his fingers around hers in comfort before he told her, "You're not unwanted," finding her dark eyes on his own, glittering with the tears she couldn't seem to stop, "you're my Mom and I'll find a way to make this work," he vowed quietly, "I'm not losing either of you."

She let out a breathy laugh that was all sadness as she replied, "Regina doesn't want me anymore, Henry," her head shook on his lap, "I just remind her of the past, of the dark."

"Well then, she just needs help seeing what I do when I look at you."

Her eyebrows rose, interest peaked. "And what's that?"

He smiled down at her, complete sincerity in his eyes as he replied, "I see how strong she is, how passionate and resilient and I see a lot of the person that I want to be. A fighter."


	132. Chosen

She wanted to strangle that damn school teacher which, in all honesty, was no different to any other day but this time was for a reason the woman knew of, this time was for something most definitely curse-related and she should've known the moment she put Henry in that woman's care on his first day of school - Snow White could not keep a secret.

She'd been apologetic, doe eyes rounded and those rosebud lips parted in idiotic shock. _"I thought you'd told him."_

Regina had sneered at the very utterance of the words. She'd known, some _part_ of her - the part hell-bent on ruining Regina's life - had known and so she'd stuck the knife in and created a whole new wound.

He'd ran away from school the moment the news had been broken, her poor confused little boy, he'd fled the gates and ran as fast as small legs could carry him. She knew where he'd gone though, where he was.

The car door shutting echoed through the quiet air but he doesn't flinch, he knew she'd come find him the moment he'd disappeared no doubt. She takes it as a small blessing that he doesn't move from his perch atop his castle, that perhaps he'll let her explain.

Her heels are slipped off and left disregarded in the soft grass, her nylon covered toes instantly chilled but she's uncaring as she begins climbing the wooden steps leading to the main platform on which Henry sits with legs dangling over the edge as he looks out to the rolling waves of the sea.

He doesn't acknowledge her presence at all and she takes that for something of a good thing at this moment as she pads over and slowly lowers herself beside him with their thighs only inches apart. She doesn't speak, however, merely waits. Waits for him to be ready.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what, sweetheart?" she spoke softly.

His brow is gently furrowed, "that you weren't my real Mom."

It wasn't spoken with menace but still, it stings. She swallows down the lump that begins forming in her throat "because that would've been a lie, Henry."

"How-"

"I may not have given birth to you, my darling" she interrupts gently, "but I am most definitely your mother." She chances dropping her palm atop the back of his hand, glad when he doesn't pull away from her and explains "I found out some time ago that I couldn't have a child of my own in the usual way," she knows he'd studied the reproductive system already, she'd helped with the homework, "but still, I discovered that there were other ways to have a child."

"Adoption," he supplies, the word still foreign and uncertain on his tongue as he tries to understand how he feels about it.

Regina nods, "I hadn't realised that there were babies already in this world in need of a mother to care for them, to love them."

He turns to look at her at that - the tear tracks on his cheeks have her heart breaking - "do you think that she didn't love me? My-" he stops himself short of saying 'real' once more and instead uses "birth Mom?" much to her relief.

"I don't believe that anyone who laid eyes on you couldn't love you, Henry." She lifts a hand and wipes at a fallen tear with her thumb.

"Then why did she give me up?"

Her palm remains on his cheek as her own brow furrows, "that is one thing I don't know, sweetheart," and then, because he deserves to know "she asked for the adoption to be a closed one. I don't think she could bear to know who chose to adopt you for fear that she would perhaps seek you out. Seek us out."

He nods thoughtfully before growing quiet and she gives him the silence he needs though keeps her hands on top of his on his lap. It isn't long, however, before he asks "Mom?" and draws her attention back to him - not that it had ever left. She lifts her eyebrows in question with a soft smile curling her lips and finds herself fighting back her own tears when he says, "thank you for choosing me." before he leans down to rest the side of his head on her shoulder.

She lifts that same hand again and presses it to his cheek, sniffing softly before whispering back "I believe it is you who chose me, Henry. So, the thanks are all mine to give."

He chuckles gently and surmises, "then I guess we chose each other."

And yes, she thinks with a wide and tearful smile, "I guess we did."


	133. Crash

**TW: Car accident, mentions of blood and allusions to paralysis**

She comes screaming back into consciousness, a sharp ringing in her ears and her stomach rolling with nausea. Her head is throbbing, a sickening pulse at the base of her skull that has her wincing. There's a warm wetness trickling down her face - if she wasn't so concussed she'd understand that it was blood - and into her eye. It had all happened so quickly.

She'd been on her way home to her family, on her way to the wonderful meal that Robin had been teasing her with all afternoon - she'd always known that teaching him how to take and send a picture message was going to bite her in the ass - on her way home to bliss.

She'd stopped on the way to collect Robyn from Zelena's - it was their weekend with the baby and they'd have the following week with her too before she was to be returned to her biological mother - and she'd been answering the baby's burbles as though the two were having a conversation, peering into the rear-view mirror when possible to find her precious little beauty beaming at her. She hadn't even seen the other car coming until it had been too late.

It was the thought of the baby that finally had her growing more alert, had her fighting against the seat belt locking her into place and it was only then, when gloved hands came to rest upon her bloodied arms, that she realised she wasn't alone.

"Ma'am," the paramedic spoke, his voice barely audible with the ringing in her ears, "I need you to stay still, you've been in a rather big accident and we need to assess your injuries, okay?"

Her first attempt at speaking had her choking on the liquid in her mouth.

"I think you may have bitten your tongue. Talking may have to wait."

Her head shook as she fought against his strong hold, her body screaming out in protest but she had to see, she had to know that Robyn was-

"Ma'am, please. You'll only do yourself further inju-"

"The baby" she finally managed breathlessly after spitting the copper tasting liquid from her mouth, "I can't hear the baby," panic bubbled within her, "why can't I hear her!?"

It was only a moment more of her fighting before she felt the sharp sting of something pressed into her upper arm and the grogginess she'd been pushing so hard against began to spread through her body. Her last thought was of the devastation her family was going to feel, devastation she had caused before everything went black.  
_

Waking this time was different. Her ears had stopped ringing and her airways felt clearer. The confusion had only grown however.

She wasn't in the car anymore, that much she could tell instantly. She was warm, laying on something soft and an incessant but steady beep provided the background noise.

There was also something on her hand. Opening her eyes slowly however, she found that something to be a someone holding her hand.

"Robin…"

His head shot up at the sound of his name, the sound of her voice. Kind blue eyes were bloodshot, the skin around them puffy and sore - he'd been crying. "Regina," he choked out, shifting up from his seat to get closer to her, stopping just shy of folding her into his arms, "you're awake."

Her brow was furrowed as she tried to work through the fog still clouding her mind, she'd been in the car…how was she-

"They had to sedate you, sweetheart," he explained without prompt, fingers gentle where they were curled around her hand to press against her palm, "so that you wouldn't hurt yourself anymore, they said it'd take a few moments for you to come around, that you'd be a little confused." When she only continued staring at him, he shook his head and breathed, "I'm so glad that you're okay."

Robin's forehead lowered to rest on her chest, hair tickling at her collarbone as he tried to still his shaking body. He was sobbing again.

Her hand lifted into his hair, fingers threading into the strands in a way that she hoped was soothing and it felt right, just for a moment everything felt okay again until-

"The baby!"

Robin instantly lifted his head from her, sitting back as she sat forward though he rested a palm on her abdomen to keep her from moving too quickly.

"Robin, where's the baby? I couldn't hear her, I couldn't get to her Robin, I couldn't-"

"She's fine, Regina."

"What do you mean 'she's fine'!? Where is she?"

He pressed his hand against her a little more, halting her movements as gently as he could as he told her, "she's with her brothers and with Mary Margaret in the waiting room."

"But…" she frowned, her throat tight with her distress as she looked between blue eyes, "I don't understand, how can she-"

"A protection bubble," Robin explained, stroking back hair matted with blood from her face, "you cast it over her before the other car hit," his head shook, "she was blissfully unaware of it all. That's why you couldn't hear her."

"Oh, thank God!" she cried, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs when she grabbed at his collar and dragged him towards her, burying her face in his neck as she sobbed uncontrollably.

He held her as tightly as he was able to without furthering her discomfort and cried just as hard.

"I thought she was-"

"I know, sweetheart" he cut her off gently, unable to hear her say it, unable to think of their daughter as anything other than happy, healthy and alive. "I know you did but she isn't," his fingers were at the nape of her neck, holding her to him, "because of you, she isn't."

He lays her down as gently as he can when she succumbs to her exhaustion, having cried herself to sleep in his arms. She looks peaceful again and it's easier watching her now that he knows she's going to be okay.

He hadn't told her what Whale had advised him to, the news of Robyn's health having been the only topic of conversation she'd needed to hear in that moment.

He will tell her though, once she's gotten at least some of the rest she needs, once she sleeps off the rest of the sedative and is able to hear him with a clear mind.

He'll tell her that they love her and will support her through everything that will be to come in the future and that together they will learn to come to terms with it. He doesn't know how she'll take the news, he doesn't even know how he's supposed to break it to her but he'll find the strength to do it just as he's sure that she'll find the strength to cope with the knowledge that she quite possibly will never walk again.

They'll get through it though, of that much he is absolutely certain.


	134. Ancient History

**Missing Year AU**

She didn't so much as flinch when a twig snapped beneath Regina's booted foot nor had the woman expected her to. Snow White had lived a good portion of her life on the run from her, her whole body was in tune with this very habitat. Still, she tried to hide her face from the light of the fire, tried to hide the glistening tear tracks on her cheeks - as if Regina hadn't already guessed that she'd taken herself away from the rest of their party to grieve quietly.

Despite her proclivity for grandeur - an unfortunate trait inherited from her father - Snow White was a little more reserved in her emotions. Something she'd learned along the way from her stepmother.

The train of her cape swished about her legs, fanning out over the back of the log with a flourish of her hands as Regina lowered herself down to sit atop the curved surface. It was a simpler existence this, and were it not for the ache constantly present in her heart, Regina thinks there'd be room for the longing she used to feel as a girl. The longing to be completely free. As it were though, Henry was taking up any possible space.

"I don't do hope speeches," she warned from the off, because she didn't. Such a thing didn't come as easily to one with a heart as dark and bruised as hers. "But I can offer the ear of a mother as equally bereft and tell you to stop being so ridiculous."

Snow's brow was furrowed when she turned her face to Regina's - she hadn't said a word to the older woman since earlier, had merely pressed a kiss to her husband's cheek and gone for a little time to herself - "Wha-"

"Emma would not resent you for keeping it."

Round lips parted, "H-how could you know?"

"I've suspected for a while," Regina replied, turning her eyes to the flames dancing only feet away from her - it seemed the Merry Men had their uses after all - "that and the fact that David's hands haven't wandered far from you, especially since returning here." She shrugged a shoulder, casting a glance to a wary Snow, "It wasn't hard to work out, dear."

"Do you think the others know?"

"I highly doubt it," she threw a glance back at the slowly dwindling group still drinking about the other fire, "they're not the sharpest bunch, those dwarves."

That pulled a small laugh from the woman beside her, nothing spectacular, but a start at the very least.

"One child does not replace another," Regina whispered after a long moment, her voice growing thick as she added, "not in your heart anyway."

"…Regina?"

The comment hadn't gone quite as unnoticed as she'd hoped it would. She wasn't even sure why she'd made it. Snow was no longer the self-centred little brat she'd once been as a child, she wasn't conceited enough to believe that she'd held such a deep-rooted spot in Regina's heart - she'd loved the girl but her spite had made her unable to love her as deeply as both the King and the little princess had wanted.

"What did you mean by that?"

"It doesn't matter," she tried to dismiss with a shake of her head. "It was a long time ago, ancient history now."

"Was it Daniel's?" Snow pressed on as gently as one such as she was able, "Or was it my fa-"

"She was Daniel's."

Snow gasped softly and Regina allowed a tear to streak down her cheek untouched, a tiny tribute to the child she'd had to let go of so long ago. "She…" the girl whispered gently. "But…when?" Her confusion was palpable, the whirring of her mind almost audible as she tried to work through the timeline, "I would've surely noticed had you been pregnant after marrying my father."

"Not if you weren't around to see it, Snow." Turning her face, she found the younger woman looking at her with such incredulity at the lost memory of her time at the Summer Palace. "You won't remember," she explained slowly, shifting in place and angling her knees so that her body was turned towards Snow White's, "I took the memory from you the moment I learned of it through Rumplestiltskin. Your father too. I couldn't bear to hear him speak of her any longer and you'd always ask why I couldn't have travelled to visit the Summer Palace with you both, why I didn't reply to your letters during that time. It was too hard."

Snow's lips were gently parted, the confusion of a young girl fading into the compassion of a mother. "What happened to her?" she pressed on, gentle but ever curious, "did she-"

"She didn't die," Regina stopped her before she could form the unbearable thought, shaking her head to clear the very notion before explaining, "I was already around four months pregnant by the time I married your father, still rather slim but growing at a rate that was far too quick to pass off as a honeymoon dalliance." The thought of such a thing, the memory of sharing the King's bed having had to send her daughter away still burned like bile in her belly. "Your father didn't want the Kingdom to know that he'd taken in a sullied bride…so I was forced to give her up."

"Oh, Regina…" Snow breathed sorrowfully.

"She was beautiful," she chuckled wetly, eyes on the fire but mind on the image that had forever been burned into her mind. "She had Daniel's eyes and my mouth, ten little fingers and ten perfect toes and just before I let her go, before they took her from me…" her chin quivered at the memory, "she grabbed my finger so tight, as if she knew what was happening and I swear, my heart filled and broke all at the same time."

"Where did she go? Did you ever look for her?"

"One of my handmaidens, a loyal woman that remained with me up until her death a year or so before the curse," Regina remembered, "she knew of a loving family unable to have a child of their own. She didn't tell them where she'd come from, of course, but instead gave them something that no one else could. She often asked if I wanted to know of her progress through the years but I was too selfish. I yearned for my daughter and, given the chance, I likely would've taken her back against anyone's wishes but my own had I been able to." She shook her head, "I would've ruined her life. I couldn't hear about the happiness of another family raising my daughter."

"She could've been the thing that you needed."

Regina wiped at a tear, straightening up on the log as she shook herself free of the anguish that had settled upon her. It didn't do to dwell on things she couldn't change. "If I'd have done that then I'd never have had Henry but that isn't my point," she turned to Snow, ignoring the empathy in doe-like eyes. "The pain will always remain but you learn to live on and the baby growing inside of you," she dropped her gaze to the skilfully concealed bump before looking back to the younger woman, "it may just be the making of you once more."


	135. Brothers

He asks about the boy often, ever since the first time she'd told him about her son, lost to her in another world and Roland can't quite understand that, despite their unwavering optimism and determination to reunite Regina with Henry, it may never happen. Robin sees how it hurts her each time, how she has to swallow back the anguish that threatens to choke her every time she allows herself to think of him and he thinks he's found the reason for the mornings she remains in the shadows of the great hall, eating only what Snow forces upon her and leaving with only a glimpse of sore eyes. It's after those times that he asks his son to leave her for a while, to talk of other things with her and though Roland doesn't understand why, he heeds his father's requests.

On these days though, when she brings Henry up first, Roland will always cast him a questioning look and, when met with a small nod from Robin, will ask his own questions. He loves watching her on these days, when she's lost in memories of her child, reliving smiles and laughs that Roland mirrors (though he doesn't always catch her references, neither does Robin for that matter), he thinks she's the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes upon.

"Morning cuddles in bed were my favourite," she tells Roland as he dances around her where she sits cross-legged on the ground, fingers catching in her thick curls as he moves to stand behind her, lifting the strands with both hands before letting them fall again and Robin can see the way she enjoys the touch, notices the warmth in her dark eyes as she looks down at the hands clasped within her lap whilst the young boy's focus is elsewhere.

"Like we do R'gina?" he asks on a giggle as he peeks his head over her shoulder, dimples deep and smile wide as she turns to bump her nose against his.

"Just like we do Roland."

He's about to turn and walk away from his quiet spot beside the door when he's stopped by his boy's next question.

"Can Henry be my big brother?"

It's met with silence for a moment and he almost doesn't want to look back to find her soft expression to have fallen, doesn't want to see that despair painted across her pretty features but he must, for if Roland has over-ste-

"Would you like him to be?" her returned question is soft, her eyes on the small boy as he, completely oblivious to the weight of his enquiry, moved back around to stand in front of her with his smile still in place and eyebrows raised in question.

He nodded, his little curls bouncing with his excitement as he told her "very much!"

He couldn't quite see her face with Roland's position but he could hear the smile in her voice when she replied, "well then, I'm sure Henry would love to have a little brother," and although there was a definite tremble in her words as he watched lean fingers rub the length of Roland's arms, she was okay.

It wasn't long after that Roland was moving onto other topics, completely unaware of the tender smile that curled the Queen's lips, the very smile that Robin could not, nor did he want to, pull his eyes from.


	136. The Future's not Ours to See

She's given up all pretence of disinterest now, the new couple having been here for gone seven days already with no sign of any progress in tracking down a way to return them home. Still, she feigns disgust to hide the deep ache that comes with watching them interact so freely and so openly with one another. It's strange seeing herself in such a way and they're still not sure if this is some kind of future version of them or a parallel one.

The latter seems more believable to her. She's not meant for a love such as the one her mirror image shares.

Still, despite the reminder, she watches when she can. She lingers in windows when they're walking the grounds with fingers laced and smiles curling their lips. Her ears perk up at the sound of their voices - they talk of Henry and of Roland and a terrible jealousy burns in her belly - and she finds herself struck dumb whenever she catches a kiss.

There had been one particular afternoon, when she'd been walking the corridors, in which she'd been frozen to the spot, unable to tear her eyes away as the other Regina and her Robin had gotten a little carried away in a room not so closed off from wandering eyes.

They'd been clothed, of course, but still, the exchange had left her a little hot under the metaphorical collar and she'd been unable to look her Robin - he wasn't 'her' Robin, not at all - in the eye for the next two days.

Today though, today they were lain out upon the sun kissed grass of the gardens. The other Robin was resting with his back against the thick bark of her tree, a soft smile on his face as he looked down to the other Regina. She was lying perpendicular to him with her head resting in his lap and hair fanned out over his thigh, speaking with her smile directed up at him. His fingers were moving steadily through her hair, his other hand cupping her jaw gently.

They were the picture of happiness in the midst of a world full of chaos.

"Strange isn't it."

Regina startled, turning to find Robin close by and watching the two just as she was. He hadn't passed much comment since their arrival and, as she had, had mainly kept out of their way but now, looking at him, she found she was nervous to hear what he thought of it.

"He looks like me, acts like me…" he swallowed thickly, his throat bobbing, "he loves like I would," and she knows he means the open affection the other Robin bestows upon his Regina whenever the opportunity presents itself, "yet I find myself endlessly jealous of him."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she cleared her throat lightly before asking, "And why is that?"

"He has gained that which I can only hope to have."

"Neither myself nor that woman down there are property to own," her ire rose, old wounds reopening at the assumption that she could be 'had'.

"I meant only that he holds her affections as I wish you'd allow me to, m'lady. You know the affection and sincerity in my intentions but I will not push you, Regina." He stroked a hand over her upper arm as he passed, pulling a shiver from her that she fought hard to hide. "I'm a patient man, I'll wait."

She didn't turn to watch him leave but instead allowed her eyes to fall upon the two outside once more, her sorrow only increasing at the sight of something she could most certainly have if only she were brave enough to take the leap.


	137. A Regal Thief

**Missing Year AU**

It wasn't uncommon for him to wake without her beside him, she was a restless sleeper at the best of times and after last night, after what they'd talked about hidden beneath the shadows, he's not surprised that she's nowhere to be seen. He knew where he'd find her though, remembered a story she'd told him of nights in the other world spent wasting away sleepless hours in the kitchen making treats for her son.

Sure enough, there was a soft glow shining from beneath the partially closed door when he turned the corner with a sleepy yawn.

She'd confessed to him, deep in the throes of passion, that she loved him and he'd barely heard it as his orgasm had seized him, the feel of her fluttering around him always enough to take him over the edge, but he'd asked her afterwards once their breathing had calmed somewhat. There had been a moment where he'd thought she was going to deny it but she'd taken a deep breath, rolled over to face him and whispered it again with more vulnerability than he'd ever known from her.

He wasn't even sure she'd been to sleep yet.

The door creaked softly as he pushed it open, the kitchen warmer than the corridors and it had him wondering how long she'd been down here, awake, alone and no doubt driving herself insane with her doubts and insecurities as she cooked through a mind full of recipes.

It took him a moment to spot her, the kitchen big enough to facilitate the needs of an entire castle full, but when he did, he fell even more in love with her than he'd first proclaimed to last night.

She stood with bare feet and legs, toned and shapely, dark hair loose and falling around her shoulders and down her back in long, thick waves. Her focus was on the bowl full of ingredients on the work surface before her but he could see her face was bare of makeup, features soft and as gorgeous as always as she bit at her bottom lip. It was her attire, however, that had him so affected.

"Is that my shirt?"

She startled despite the softness of his tone, releasing a small gasp as those dark eyes shot up and locked onto his own.

He was smirking without mockery, looking from her lovely face to the oversized fabric covering her small frame. The ties were left open, the collar wide and revealing the tops of her breasts to him whilst the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows to allow her easy movement. The hem touched just below the curve of her rear, teasing him with every move she made. "You look stunning, my love."

"Don't be ridiculous," she blushed, gaze dropping self-consciously as she began stirring once more having stopped with the announcement of his arrival, "I couldn't sleep and I wasn't about to lace myself into a corset for a midnight snack."

"You should have woken me," he replied softly, pushing off from the doorframe and slowly making his way over to her, well aware of the way she was consciously not looking at him now. She was terrified. He had been too but finding her here, wearing his shirt like she was, had worked at calming that fear somewhat. He didn't stand beside her but behind her, wrapping his arms around her small waist and moulding himself against her back as he nuzzled his face against her neck and whispered, "Is this okay?"

Her movements had stilled once more, her heart rate increasing beneath the palm he had pressed flat to her rib as she worked at pulling forth her courage before, slowly and a little hesitantly, she nodded.

He smiled, pressing a kiss to her skin before he whispered, "I won't say it again unless you want me to but, just know, it still stands true and it always will."

Regina's answering exhale was shuddered - though he could hear something akin to relief there - before she nodded again. They shared the silence for a long moment, neither moving, both just remaining close to one another before she whispered, "I want you to say it again."

Robin pulled back a little at that to find her face turned towards his, eyes down but her attention on him as he asked, "You do?" to which she nodded gently, a small smile curling at her lips. It had one pulling at his own as he chuckled softly and pulled her in closer to him before whispering, "I love you, Regina."

She inhaled deeply, as though physically absorbing his words as her eyes fell shut and she dropped her head back against his shoulder, lips grazing his jaw as she replied, "And I love you, Robin."


	138. A Little Rain Can't Hurt

"We need to find shelter!" he cried over the onslaught of the storm, shivering against the bitter winds that only aggravated their rain-soaked skin. She was a mere foot away from him, dark hair plastered to her face and neck and her velvet dress - he'd told her to wear something more practical for an afternoon's tracking in the woods, they'd come out here to find ingredients to replenish her potion stock, not meet with royals - ruined by the turn in the weather. It had been blue skies and a burning sun only moments before, absolutely no sign of the storm but they were certainly in the thick of it now.

She looked at him incredulously - or as best she could, squinting through the unrelenting droplets raining down on them - before exclaiming, "What we need to do is get back to the castle, not find a dwelling!"

"You think we can find our way back to the castle in this!?" he stopped himself short of laughing outright at her lest he find himself roasted on the spot - in all honesty, he had far more respect for her to do that anyway - "Regina, I can barely see you right now, let alone anyone else we may come across on the way."

"It's Your Majesty," she gritted out, "and are you forgetting that I have magic, thief."

He did laugh then, at his own stupidity before replying, "You'll have to excuse me, Your Majesty," he gave back, bouncing on the spot - he had to admit, there was a kernel of excitement within him at the thought of returning to the warmth of the castle in mere moments - "but when it feels as though my privates are about to fall off, I can't think particularly straight."

"Charming," she drawled over the storm before he caught the way her arms raised in something of a familiar motion to him now - she was an avid fan of dramatic exits, after all - and he closed his eyes, preparing himself to be transported. It was only her grunt - and the fact that rain was still pounding down onto him - that told him that something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?" and when she didn't answer, merely let loose a series of expletives even his men would wince at, he prompted, "Your Majesty?"

"No, it is not okay."

He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from a little of the rain - it was coming down far too hard to do much else - taking in the way she seemed to be staring at her hands, as though doing so would tell her what the problem was - perhaps it could, for all he knew she could see straight through to bone - before he took a few steps closer to her. "Is there anything I can-"

"Shush!" she snapped at him, brow furrowed in concentration as she looked from her hands and up at the downpour, her brilliant mind clearly ticking over before she muttered a frustrated, "fuck!" and her dark eyes fell upon him once more, "we need to find shelter."

If they were in any other situation, he would've teased her for repeating his initial idea but, as it were, there was something not quite right with her tone or her expression. Something was wrong. Instead, he merely nodded before asking, "Know anywhere?" expecting her to snap at him once more, as she liked to do - or so it felt at times - but instead found himself surprised when she took a long moment to think before nodding.

"Follow me."

* * *

The cottage, were it not badly obscured by the dark clouds and pouring rain, would've been beautiful but instead of taking a moment to take in its beauty, Robin was promptly kicking down the thick wooden door and ushering the Queen inside.

It wasn't as cold inside as he'd expected, the building seemingly having been left abandoned for the last couple of decades at least, but still, there was a definite chill in the air. Luckily though, there was a chimney and a hearth to start a fire in, situated in, what looked to be, the living room.

He made his way over to it, instantly searching about for some flint. There were logs piled high, certainly enough to keep them warm and get them dry over the next few hours - until the rain stopped at least - and he found himself glad that one thing had managed to go right for them.

"It's in the pot beside the rocking chair."

Robin turned at the sound of her voice, watching as she continued trying to call her magic forth, to no avail. He frowned at her before getting to his feet and moving over to the pot in question, slipping his hand through dust and cobwebs and closing his fingers around the unmistakable hilt of a small dagger and the hard edges of a stone. "You know the place well," he mused, though it was more of a thinly veiled question. She wasn't easily won over and most definitely private - he wanted her to understand that her answer was hers to be given freely or not at all if she so wished.

"This cottage belonged to my father," she gave back distractedly as she continued working at her failed magic, "I spent many an afternoon here as a girl."

He nodded and hummed his acknowledgement before moving back over to the hearth and hiding his intrigue at the thought of the Queen as a young girl. Did she read here? Practice her magic? They were questions that burned at the end of his tongue but he kept his silence, perhaps time spent here would help lower the guard she always kept so tightly in place.

She was seething with anger, more so than she had been for quite some time and there was nothing she could do about it - not until they were properly dried at least.

Damn fairy.

She should've known that the very moment Robin had won the fight to accompany her on her search for ingredients, that the winged bug would start scheming. Magic blanketing rain though, that was something of a curveball that hadn't been expected. It was dangerous too, with a deranged witch out for Regina's head - or whatever it was that she wanted - to cut her magic off in such a way. No one knew of her father's cottage - save for her father and, now, Robin - so it was only out of pure luck that they actually had somewhere to go, somewhere safe, until the rain let off.

Still, safe or not, she was going to murder Tinkerbelle and enjoy herself immensely whilst doing so.

Her arms dropped to her sides with a heavy sigh, any attempt at calling forth her magic absolutely futile whilst she was still soaked to the bone. Luckily though, she found as she looked over at the outlaw she'd been forced into close quarters with - intentionally - it seemed he'd managed to light them a fire.

A warm glow was cast over the cottage when he moved out of the way with a satisfied smile, turning to replace the dagger and stone in her father's pot with a gentle respect she hadn't expected from him - he wasn't a bad person, not in the slightest. It was one of the reasons she wanted to keep him at a distance. It wouldn't do to sully his soul with her own - before he was turning to her, wearing a rather awkward smile that echoed the question in her own head. What the hell were they supposed to do now?

"I doubt it will take long for us to get dry, milady," Robin commented needlessly though not condescendingly. He was trying to make conversation and, though she knew she should scoff and spit and snipe at him - she usually did - she found she didn't quite have the energy nor the proclivity to. She was tired and hungry from their afternoon search and she wanted nothing more than to curl up in front of the very warm and inviting looking fire.

So, in a show of gratitude for doing something that she wouldn't have been able to without her magic - not without numerous attempts, at least - she gave him a small smile in reply and made her way around to where he stood, glad for the thick rug she'd relinquished from her mother's collection so many years ago. She would have taken offence at the complete surprise that lit his face with her expression but, in all honesty, how could she blame him? He'd only caught one smile from her since she'd returned to this land and that had been filled with a manic bloodlust for her newly introduced sister. In fact, she found herself quite surprised that he made no comment about it and merely followed suit when she sat down upon the rug, slipping his boots and socks from his feet and placing them a little closer to the fire before crossing his legs.

A rather awkward silence stretched between the two for a long moment as they stared into the fire, unsure of what to say now that they weren't at one another's throats or trading barbs. That was, until Robin began humming the tune of a very old melody that often circulated the taverns in which she believed he'd no doubt learnt it from.

She heaved a heavy sigh, shaking her head as she whined "Must you always be so desperately annoying?" to which he did nothing more than chuckle even as he continued moving through the tune. She had to admit - though, never out loud - that he wasn't terrible. He followed the melody rather beautifully, in all honesty and it had her wondering if he sang his boy to sleep at night which, in turn, had her thinking of the nights Henry would allow her to do much the same. Sometimes it would be his request that she sang for him.

Her heart ached at the very thought and, it seemed, her sudden train of thought didn't go unnoticed by the man sitting beside her as his humming quieted. She swallowed thickly, expecting questions but was instead surprised once more by him when he commented, "I know I'm a little tone-deaf, Your Majesty, but there is no need for tears."

Regina laughed wetly, lifting a finger to swipe at the wetness beneath her eye before she rolled her eyes for show and muttered back, "Shut up, thief," but this time without her earlier ire.

She was laughing, actually laughing as he regaled her with stories both old and, some, new.

"I had Little John run close behind me the whole way back to camp," he shook his head, recalling the eventful mission, "but when I later emerged with a new pair of tear-free trousers, he'd already told most of the camp. I still haven't quite lived it down."

"I'm not surprised," she chuckled, adjusting her dress about her legs as she uncrossed them and moved to curl them up beside her instead, "I don't think I'd ever allow you to forget such a thing."

"Oh, come on," he began on his own laugh, eyes shining with an amusement she found rather attractive on him, "you've never wanted the earth to swallow you up to save yourself from embarrassment?" and when she bit at her bottom lip, the tops of her cheeks colouring with a gentle blush, he asked, "will you tell me?" with a grin.

She regarded him for a long moment, eyes narrowing as her head tilted and she fought with her own judgement. Finally, after a long moment, she warned, "You are to tell no one," chuckling once again when he traced a cross over the drying fabric covering his chest before she let loose a heavy sigh and told him, "I once mistook a rather large pile of horse manure for dug soil and attempted to climb atop the stables roof to prove a maid's horrible son wrong."

He looked at her for a moment, brow creasing as though trying to work out what she meant before he released a great hearty, "Oh no!" that she nodded at with an amused grimace.

"It was as high as my waist and smelled like nothing I'd ever experienced."

"I'll bet," Robin laughed good-naturedly, "what was it that you were trying to prove?"

Her smile grew sheepish as she admitted, "That girls could climb just as well as boys," and then, "it was only that night, when my mother was scrubbing my skin raw, that I realised he'd planned the whole thing simply to get me into trouble - he knew how strict my mother was."

"Did you get him back though?" he asked, "the horrible little git that he was?"

She blushed once more at his question and nodded, "I broke his nose."

"I hadn't realised I'd wanted a child until we discovered that she was expecting, I'd always thought myself far too selfish to care for something other than myself," he shook his head with a fond smile, "but from the first time I felt him moving around in her belly, from the first moment I realised that he was real and that soon he was going to need me, I knew that I was never going to love anything more than him."

The Queen smiled warmly at the mention of his boy - he could see the pain behind the expression however and found he respected her all the more for carrying on after losing her son, he wasn't sure that he ever could and she'd had her boy for longer if the things he'd heard about her son were true - "He truly is a beautiful child."

"He takes after his mother."

"But inherited your dimples," the brunette pointed out almost mindlessly, not realising fully what she'd said until he teased, ' _Noticed them, have you?'_ pulling a choked "I-wha-" from her as she floundered where she sat. The truth was – not that he needed to know – that yes, she _had_ in fact noticed. She'd noticed an awful lot despite her desire not to.

He laughed, "I'm just kidding, Your Majesty," his smile kind as he raised a palm, giving her an out without even realising it, "but yes, you're right although, they're about the only thing he inherited from me. That child is the image of his mother."

She remained quiet, watching as he lost himself to his thoughts of his deceased wife, giving him the space and time he needed for the moment despite Marian having died a long time ago now. It still hurt, her loss still burning through his heart but now it was tinged with a sadness that neither she nor Roland would know one another. "You miss her."

"Always," he replied softly, "and more so on the days that Roland says or does something that's completely new. She's the first person I want to tell."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he smiled softly and with a shrug that almost managed indifference but not quite, "she had a wonderful life and I know she wouldn't want anyone to dwell on her passing." He shook his head, "the best way that I can honour her is to carry on and to raise our son in the same way that we would were she alive."

"Still," the Queen continued, "I know how hard a loss like that hits."

His head tilted as he looked at her, eyes filled a pain different to the one he'd already seen there. "Did you have him for long?" he was guessing at what it could be but his gut feeling was strong, she'd lost someone as he had.

"Two years," her voice was thick on her reply, eyes glistening with tears that fell when she blinked and looked to the rug they were still sitting on. It was still raw, he could see that with how quickly her emotions seemed to claim her. "He was barely a man when he was taken."

This time it was Robin's turn to reply with a gentle and sincere, "I'm sorry," his expression filled with empathy as he watched her wipe at her cheeks as she sniffed, "life can be a wonderful thing, tainted always by the inevitability of death."

She let free a mirthless chuckle but said nothing as she gathered herself, coughing lightly to clear her throat. He felt as though there were more to her story than she was telling him but then, it was her truth to tell. He wouldn't ask what she didn't want to reveal.

Looking to give the Queen a reprieve, he cast his eyes over the fabric of her dress, light and vibrant once more - it was ruined, the material not as expensive looking as it had been - before looking down at himself and lifting a hand to pat over his clothes. "We're dry."

Her gaze shot up to his, lips parting softly as she gave him a once over before repeat his own process and stroking her hand over the arms of her dress and breathing a soft, "Oh," before looking over at the slowly dwindling fire. Her brow furrowed for a reason he didn't know and then she was lifting a hand towards the pile of extra logs, asking one up with her magic and depositing it into the hearth. It worked without fault and both found themselves staring rather mindlessly as the flames ate at the wood.

"Should we head back before they send out a search party?" he asked, something inside of him hoping she'd say no but, as it was, she looked to be as stubbornly well-mannered as he as she turned her gaze upon him and nodded - he took great compliment in the fact that she looked just as hesitant as he to leave.

"I'm sure Snow has torn through enough of her personal guard by now trying to leave the castle," she tried for humour and he laughed just as he was supposed to but both of their attempts were empty.

"Well then," he nodded, looking at her for a long moment before - regrettably - pushing himself to his feet and extending a hand to her. If he'd have done something such as this at any other time on any other day before now, she'd have spat that she didn't need his help - she didn't, Merlin knows she didn't - but as it were, she simply slipped her hand into his own - he had to stop himself from memorising how soft and surprisingly small it was - and allowed him to help her up.

She stumbled into him, the force of his guiding hand a little strong. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty." He wasn't, the feel of her so close to him was not a hardship, not even close to it and she, in turn, didn't step back right away.

When she did, it was with a gentle blush colouring her cheeks and a soft murmuring of, "Regina," that he almost had to ask her to repeat, "I prefer Regina."

He couldn't help it, as he found himself trapped in her beautiful dark eyes, he couldn't help but tease breathlessly, "So you were just being difficult before then."

Those eyes moved between his own for a moment, her brow pinching in gentle confusion for just a moment before he was grinning down at her and earning himself his first eye roll free of her ire and filled with a tentative amusement. It had him realising how much she was trying to be open with him, to let him close and he appreciated that. "I could quite easily revoke the invitation, you know."

He lifted his hands in feigned surrender, hiding his disappointment when she took a step back from him to adjust the skirt of her dress about her legs before she was slipping her shoes back on - there was something about seeing the Queen's feet bare, toes slim and dainty, that made her seem all the more human to him - and inhaling a deep breath, readying herself it seemed.

She turned to him once she'd exhaled, expression open - if a little regretful - as she asked, "Are you ready?"

Two days after their return to the castle, both the Queen and the Outlaw found themselves bedridden with stinking colds and matching scowls. At Roland's insistence – ' _This way I'll be able to look after both of you_ '- Regina's bed was transported to Robin's chambers and, to any that helped with the move, she groused and groaned about being in such close quarters with the thief. Behind closed doors, however, and with Roland as a buffer to help keep conversation flowing, both found the company made the illness a little more pleasant.

Tink was given a stern talking to but kept her wings, despite Regina's initial desire to rip them from her annoying little body and things between Regina and Robin moved a little easier from them on.

On the evening upon which Snow stumbled upon the sight of the two walking hand in hand through the night-darkened gardens and stopping to share a kiss beneath Regina's tree that looked far from their first, the Princess began to feel a shift in the air and thanked Merlin for a little rain and a lot of patience on Robin's part.


	139. Ready

**Missing Year AU**

 _He pulled out slowly, swallowing her pleasured whimper as he caught her lips in a luxuriously slow kiss that spoke of his feelings for her in a way that she wouldn't allow him to. Her legs parted wider to accommodate his weight atop her, allowing him to settle there more comfortably as gentle palms moved up and over his chest, sliding the length of his shoulders until she was trailing his neck and cupping his jaw. The sun was slowly rising, the sky changing from a solid black to an inky blue that always brought with it a sadness that he hid as best he could from her. She knew, he knew she did by the way she'd close her eyes to his expression and pretend to fall guiltlessly into sleep lest she give in to the feelings that had been growing stronger and stronger between them from their very first frenzied kiss._

 _Robin stopped it with a gentle sigh that washed over deliciously swollen lips before his brow fell to rest against her own, creasing with a disappointment he couldn't help as he whispered, "The watch will be changing over soon," they'd long since memorised the pattern and worked around ensuring Robin an easy an undetected escape from her chambers, "I need to go."_

 _She swallowed thickly beneath his, tips of her fingers digging a little into his skin as she shifted slightly and replied, "Stay," just as quietly._

His attention was pulled from the discussion he'd been having with the Charmings and his men regarding the Wicked Witch, when he felt her presence. Usually he'd cast her a glance, would fight to pull his gaze from her lest anyone catch on - as per her wishes - and focus on something other than the need to drink her in if only to stay alive but today, today he's not certain of what he should do.

 _'_ _I'm ready',_ she'd whispered against his lips that morning as they'd lain together, ' _I'm ready'._ He'd been ready since their liaisons had gone from frenzied fucking against her bedroom walls to slow, savouring intimacy atop her soft sheets but he was worried that perhaps he'd pushed her into it and so, he tore his gaze away - as reluctantly as ever - and pretended to be, once again, immersed in a conversation he could no longer make sense of as her footsteps grew louder, closer.

He awaited the familiar jibe about his presence, her teasing more of a private joke now than a genuine complaint, but it never came. Instead, he found himself rather surprised when a gentle hand came to rest upon his forearm, pulling his gaze back to where she now stood beside him with a gentle smile on crimson coloured lips that he couldn't help but mirror with eyebrows raised in a tentative hope.

She chuckled softly, giving him a subtle nod before her eyes fell to his lips as she leaned forward to capture them in a tender but rather chaste kiss of greeting that had conversation quieting completely around them as all noticed the exchange. She didn't care though, proved as much when she pulled back only to trail her nose the length of his own before pressing a kiss to the tip and grinning. "Good morning."

His own smile was ridiculously wide as he lifted a hand to cup her cheek, pressing one last kiss to her lips and replying, "Good morning to you too, Your Majesty."

Her eyes were filled with a giddiness that he found he missed looking at when she turned to the rest of their company, slipping her fingers through his and moving to stand beside him as she asked, "What did I miss?" and paid absolutely no mind to their dumbfounded expressions.

He could only chuckle as he stared fondly at her and thanked whatever higher power it was that brought her into his life, the absolute darling that she was.


	140. Mistletoe

She's angry, absolutely livid with the Charmings - it's nothing new and, in all honesty, their blatant disregard for Regina's own wellbeing whilst covering their own backs (' _We are having a baby after all'_ , a vicious sting for a still grieving mother) has poked at his own ire on more than one occasion over the past few months - and bone tired. He doesn't think there has been a night over these last few weeks in which she hasn't been curled over book after dog-eared book, searching for any kind of answer to their current problem and he hates that she's had not one word of thanks that hasn't been prompted by either him or Regina's own sarcastic reminder that she is practically killing herself over this, loathes that he can't help in carrying the burden for he knows nothing of magic.

Instead, he presses kisses to every inch of her aching back, smooths back her hair from her face as she works and eases circling fingers over the knots that have her wincing more often than not.

Now though, now they're standing in the Great Hall, on the outskirts of it to be more exact. She pretends the contempt thrown at her by those she's working so hard to help protect - a thankless task - doesn't hurt and it may not - certainly no more than the prospect of spending her first Christmas (she's tried hard to explain the holiday to Robin and, in the end, he'd just promised to go along with whatever she wanted to do) without her son - but still, it irks him. Rather than argue at a time meant for happiness, however, he simply accepts being in her company as he is.

It's getting late, Roland is already snoring softly beneath her thick covers having requested sleeping with 'his majesty' this evening. Robin had pouted, feigning petulance that had pulled a laugh from both his son and the Queen, before relenting his usual space beside Regina and promising that his son could sleep between them. They'd waited until he'd dozed off before making their way here. It's getting late and Regina's ire is only rising with every look at the ever-happy Prince and Princess strolling hand in hand around the space and talking cheerfully with their subjects whilst she is subjected to vicious whispers and demanding glares so he suggests an early night which, after one last heavy sigh, she agrees to.

He stops her in the doorway, however, reluctant to let her leave without a smile on that beautiful mouth and, when she looks to him with a brow furrowed in confusion, he looks up pointedly at the sprig of mistletoe - she'd told him of its purpose after feigning a gag at the sight of Snow and Charming kissing sweetly beneath it - before looking back down to her with a smirk and asking, "Wanna give them a real reason to talk about us?"

And of course, like the minx she is, she merely gives him the ghost of a smirk before grabbing at the lapels of his shirt and pulling his lips to hers, taking his mouth in a deep and ridiculously passionate kiss, moaning purposefully loud as he responds.

When they pull apart and cast a glance back into the great hall, they find many a scandalised stare that they only laugh at before sharing one last tongue-filled kiss and leaving without a second thought.

Tomorrow will only bring more problems to solve, they know that already, but for tonight they will share the serenity of simply being together and, using a phrase Regina has recently taught him, not give a flying fuck about the judgement of others.


	141. Sunrise

The light colours her skin beautifully, reflected in the shine of the dark curls fanned out above her head upon the hill and she has one arm raised above her head, bent at the elbow and lain across those silken strands whilst the other rests over her stomach, rising and falling slowly with the deep breaths that indicate that she has fallen asleep and he's not surprised in the least. The sun had only just begun setting when they'd sat themselves down and waited for the stars to appear and gazing at them with her by his side had been just as magical as he'd imagined.

They'd talked for hours. Talked of things both unimportant and, on the other end of the scale, catastrophically perception altering for both of them. He'd been just as brutally honest as she, talking of his childhood living a life of forced nobility - something she'd concurred with as her eyes had flashed and her jaw clenched. She'd told him of her lost love, so very young and though she didn't go into detail - and he didn't dare push her - he could see just how much that very event had changed her heart.

He'd been hesitant but in talking of his son, she'd also gone on to talk of her own, sharing memories of childhoods spent in different lands but almost parallel in behavioural patterns and he'd praised her right after she had him for raising a child alone. Something had shifted in them both then, something that had had him landing a gentle kiss upon soft lips and though she hadn't returned it fully, she also hadn't moved away from him.

It had been wonderful, sharing this night turned morning with her and though he knew that soon, for the benefit of others, her barbed comments would return, for now he was content to watch the sun rising on her skin, possibly the best way he'd ever been able to watch it in his life.


	142. Blame

"Robin," Snow sighed somewhat tiredly, her palm rubbing so very irritatingly across her swollen stomach and, up until this point, he'd liked the Princess, found her company enjoyable and the lightness she brought to their current situation rather favourable when his own hope had been dwindling but now, with her standing before him like this, so very condescendingly, his opinion was swiftly changing.

"I cannot tell you where I was last night," he spoke steadily and firmly, fingers moving through the unruly curls upon his son's head, his eyes on the boy so blissfully unaware as he played with the monkey he had received weeks ago - the only thing he'd ever had that Robin could recall still being in pristine condition even this far down the line - "but I have not ever and will never steal from one of my own."

The idiot royal behind piped up as he practically choked in his haste to tell Robin, "Do not taint me with the same brush as you, _thief,"_ and that truly was only acceptable when coming from the Queen's mouth, hers and his friends' for they were usually teasing him for the way the term affected him when falling from plump red lips. "I want my things returned."

"And I'm sure they will be if you continue looking for the one responsible and not wasting your time here with me," he repeated, still calm though his ire was rising rather quickly, "I have no use for material things."

"We could clear this up once and for all if you would just tell us where you were last night," Snow repeated, her eyes pleading and so very doe like in their innocence as Charming placed a hand of support upon her back. It had Robin throwing a heated glance his way also though he kept his opinions to himself for the meantime, Roland need not be witness to some kind of a scene. John seemed to come to the same conclusion as, not two seconds later, he was stepping forward to usher the boy into the gardens with him, promising to play _'horsey and knight'_ with him once again and, had Robin not been in the middle of an interrogation, he would have laughed at the memory of his boy upon his friend's back shouting _"faster horsey!"_ with glee.

He turned away from his retreating son to look once more upon the royal couple, about to repeat once again that he wouldn't divulge that information to them when the large wooden doors to the hall in which they stood were blown open with the flick of a wrist, the sharp echo of heels rhythmic against the ground, slim, toned legs practically painted in black leather moving in a determined march, bringing forth the most breath-taking of sights, the Queen.

Her dark hair had been left down in thick, loose curls tumbling over one shoulder, the ends tickling at her hip as she moved. She wore a velvet corseted jacket that clung to her like a second skin, the material burgundy with large patent black buttons holding it together over her toned stomach, her cleavage hidden by a thin layer of sheer lace fabric, the patent black collar of the jacket sharp and structured. Her eyes were dark, as always, made up to absolute perfection as she wore a scowl on her pretty plum painted lips. She didn't look at him, not once, only moved to stand before him, close enough to touch though he wouldn't dare, not without her express permission.

"Regina," Snow gasped in surprise even having watched the woman close the distance between them, "I-"

"How dare you accuse him."

And he was sure all balked at that, though none as much as him. Snow seemed to recover first, though only just, as she blinked and moved to speak again, her brow furrowed as she glanced at Robin before looking back to her former-stepmother. "I-"

"No. I don't want to hear your idiotic excuses," she cut the girl off, her face set in hard lines, her voice firm and resounding within the high-ceilinged room, "you people will never learn, you cannot simply jump to whatever conclusions you find easiest to believe. Robin did _not_ take that fool's things. He is a good man."

"With all due respect Regina," Charming started a little at the ferocity in her gaze as it fell upon him, her face practically twitching in her anger with fingers flexing by her sides as she watched him, waited for him to continue, so he did. "How do you _know_ for certain that he-"

"Because he was with me!" she shouted, probably louder than what she had meant to but these damn people. She ignored the look of surprise on Charming's face and the absolute lack of surprise on Snow's and merely moved backwards a step, feeling behind her for the hand that Robin finally placed within her own once his own shock had worn away.

Her stomach fluttered with the way his fingers instantly sought to lace with her own. "He was with me all night and if you should ever question his honour again," she softened only slightly when his other hand came to rest upon her hip, his warmth comforting and soothing upon her back, his support so very necessary for they hadn't discussed making their relationship public, not when it still felt so fresh (despite the countless nights they'd spent making each other scream, the mornings they'd awoken in one another's arms and the afternoons they spent with Roland), not when her only other real relationship, that meant anything to her at least, had been kept in secret. She was afraid, so very terrified that sharing the truth of their feelings could burn what they had down to absolute ashes, could leave her broken and writing in agony once again with a jagged hole cut through her flesh where her heart had once been but now, through no decision of their own, the truth was out. "I will not hesitate to bring each and every one of you back down to size, understood?"

And when the couple before her only nodded, the idiotic royal behind them still outraged though intelligent enough to hold his tongue, Regina nodded once in return, eyes still hard, before she was moving to leave, Robin's fingers still laced with her own and his heart still very much hers to keep.


	143. Falling For You

He's bleary eyed and utterly perplexed by the time he's stumbled his way down the hall to the front door, fingers curling around the handle and turning it only to open said door and find a rather awake looking Regina standing outside with arms folded across her chest.

"Robin."

"It's three in the morning," he winced at the brightness of the moon in the inky black sky behind her head, "what could you possibly want?" and he doesn't mean it to sound so blunt – he knows she won't take it as such because she knows him, knows his heart – but it's three in the damn morning and he'd been having quite the dream about the very woman stood before him.

She was frowning at him, shifting from one heeled foot to the other before replying, "You didn't kiss me goodnight."

And the only reply he could find was, "What?"

"Earlier." She spoke as though expecting that his brain was currently functioning, "When you walked me home, you didn't kiss me goodnight and it's not as though you _have_ to kiss me goodnight but you usually do and I thought that maybe I'd done something to upset you or maybe you were starting to feel differently about me which is okay because I can't force you to feel the same was I do but I couldn't sleep not knowing, wondering if you were going to call me in the morning and break it off so I had to come over here an-"

Her spiel was cut off by the fierce kiss that he pulled her into, his amused – but still sleepy – smile threatening to ruin the exchange as his hands moved up to thread into her hair and keep her mouth against his for a long moment before he pulled back and shook his head at her, a little more awake now. "Your impatience and overactive brain are far cuter than they ought to be," he chuckled, "especially at this hour."

"I don't-"

"Get in here, take off those damn clothes and get into bed." He guided her in with a hand on her elbow, all the more amused that she was now the one staring confusedly – but allowing him to take her to his bedroom. "I don't want to hear another word of this nonsense. Don't feel the same way as you do," he scoffed, "what a silly assumption."

She could only watch as he closed the bedroom door behind them when they entered the room and moved to his chest of drawers, pulling out a large t-shirt from inside one and offering it over to her. She took it without a word and watched as he moved to climb into bed.

"Now put that on and get in here," his eyes were closed but the cover on her side had been pulled back and his arms were open and waiting for her to fill them.

She stared, dumbfounded, for a long moment before she blinked and breathed out her own amused, "Okay," and began doing just as he said, trying to tamp down her relief that she'd simply misunderstood before climbing into his bed and nuzzling in against him. Quite sure that she was half in love with him already.


	144. Past Regrets

"Hello?" he croaked, shifting up onto an elbow so that he could glance at the glaring red of his alarm clock – 3:30am. Who the hell was calling him at this time? "Who's there?" he asked when there was no response. He'd have hung up, would've disregarded it as a drunken butt dial or something if it weren't for the hiccupped breaths on the other end of the line. Lifting the phone from his ear and glancing at the screen, his heart ached at a name he hadn't seen for a long time. He placed the phone back to his ear and asked softly, "Regina?"

She sniffed, exhaling a shuddered, "I need you," that only twisted the knife in his gut further.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to let his mind wander over the terrible things that could've happened, "is everything okay?"

He was already shifting from beneath his sheets, placing his feet upon the ground and glancing around for his clothes when she asked brokenly, "Can you come over so I don't feel so alone anymore?"

The answer had been yes before she'd even asked the question.

The place still smelt the same – it was a ridiculous observation because why would the smell of the apartment change just because they had. It didn't work like that – and he found himself taking a deep breath as he closed the door behind him with a soft thud, keeping hold of the key he'd still had attached to his keychain.

Glancing down the hallway to where her bedroom lay, he saw no sign of any light and so moved towards the open plan living room and kitchen, picking up the faint sounds of the television as he did so. _I Love Lucy_ was always a favourite of hers whenever she was unable to sleep and he was proved right when the canned laughter kicked in.

He rounded the corner and found himself stopped still by the sight of her after so long.

She was sitting on the sofa with her legs curled under her, leaning against the armrest and chewing at the sleeve of his sweater – she'd claimed the thing years before and he'd had no chance in taking it back. Not that he'd wanted to – whilst tears rolled freely down her cheeks, illuminated by the glow of the television. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a messy bun with errant strands framing her face. She looked beautiful.

He'd only taken a few steps when her head snapped towards him and her expression crumpled immediately as she pushed herself from the couch and all but ran at him. He caught her easily.

Her body shook in his hold as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lay his head atop her own, whispering soothing words into her hair and trying not to cry himself at the feeling of her close once more.

Their fight had been a ridiculous one – she hadn't been quite ready to move in together despite 5 years with him and he'd accused her of having him around for the sake of his company, had accused her of not loving him and pushed her too far with insinuations of a thing between her and her college sweetheart Daniel with whom she worked. She'd thrown him out and rightly so and, up until now, had ignored his calls and refused to let him in when he'd spend hours sitting outside of her door but now, it seemed that something had changed – and he hated himself for allowing them to become strangers when she was the best thing in his world.

"I'm not me without you," she whispered against his neck between desperate sobs as she clawed at his clothes as though afraid he was going to leave her, "I don't work without you."

"Then let's fix us," he was crying too, pressing kisses atop her head, "we can work through this. I love you, Regina."

She sobbed harder, "I love you too."


	145. Past Regrets - Part 2

The mug was warm between his palms, the steam rising and twisting in the air above his knees but he didn't watch it. Instead, he was too transfixed by her as she moved to fold her legs beneath her as she took her seat on the sofa once more with her own cup of tea. He remembered the afternoon he'd spent teaching her to make a 'proper brew' as a great affection squeezed at his heart.

She'd stopped crying before he had. Had turned from the comforted to the comforter as he'd shook and trembled against her.

"I don't think I could survive another month like that," he murmured softly with eyes on his drink now. It was true, "Being without you, not knowing if we could fix things damn nearly killed me."

"I can't say we won't argue, Robin."

God, even hearing her voice again relieved the ache in his chest that'd been most permanent. "I know that," he nodded softly because he did, "and I don't expect us not to but I just need to know that we aren't going to get to that point again."

Silence lingered a long moment as she took in his words before she asked, "Do you still think there's something between me and Daniel?" and this time, unlike the first time he'd mentioned it, there was no heat nor accusation in her question. Just the simple want to know. The _need_ to know.

"There will always be something between you and Daniel," he answered truthfully, lifting his eyes to hers, willing her to understand, "he was your first love but I know, in my rational mind at least," he cringed at the memory of his baseless accusations, "that he's not your true love."

"And you are?" there was the echo of a smile on her lips, she was teasing him as best as her bruised heart would allow.

His own smile was natural, organic as he breathed a soft laugh and replied, "I'd like to think so." and then, simply so that she knew, "I truly believe that you're mine. That you're my soulmate."

"You believe in that kind of thing?" she asked.

He wondered how they'd never spoken of it in all of their years together, how it'd never come up before as he replied without hesitation, "Most definitely." She nodded, studying him for a quiet moment before her eyes dropped to her own mug as she took a sip. "Do you?"

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed her mouthful, the mug still raised to her mouth and covering her lips but he could see the smile in her eyes as she replied softly, "I think I'm beginning to."


	146. Chapter 146

**The Proposal AU**

The boxes sat beside the door, packed and ready for her moment of departure. She should've left by now, should've just grabbed the necessities and gotten the hell out of dodge. Word would spread soon about what'd happened, about what she'd done, and she'd be more of a laughing stock than she already was. God, she'd been such an idiot and for what? To stay in a job where practically every member of staff hated her guts? To live a horribly lonely existence in a house too big to hide from her own sadness?

She'd alienated practically every single person she'd ever known save for the only man who'd been able to tolerate her – her father.

God, she wished he were alive still. Perhaps things would've been different. Perhaps _she_ would've been different.

She wasn't even sure when she'd become the monster that she was but she could see it all too clearly now. Had seen it reflected back at her from eyes that'd finally opened her own.

It'd meant to be a quick fix, a simple solution that would've kept her from deportation but instead she'd done what she does best and ruined a life other than her own. Ruined it in front of his damn family too.

She wished she could just go back to hating him.

If she were being honest with herself, she never truly had hated him. Not one bit.

 _"_ _The tattoo on my foot was for him," she confessed quietly, hoping that he had fallen asleep already almost as much as she was hoping he was awake so that she could finally speak about him, her Papi. "He used to take me out into the backyard with all of the lights turned off so that we could lay on the grass and look up at the stars." She smiled sadly up at the ceiling, her throat tightening with emotions that still hurt like a thousand knives piercing her skin. "He was my best friend," she sniffled, nuzzling a little deeper into the pillow beneath her head, "my only friend."_

 _"_ _It's a beautiful tribute," Robin replied softly. He'd never known of the tattoo's existence until this whole thing had started. It had been practically the only bit of information he didn't already know about her. She'd refused his attempts at learning the origin of it up until tonight and she still wasn't sure why she was telling him but, she thought, she found herself content with having done it._

 _"_ _Thank you," she breathed, wishing she could see through brick and stone to the sky above them._

 _"_ _And Regina?" he asked a long moment later when her eyes were beginning to grow heavy and sleep began to claim her. He waited until she made a soft sound of encouragement before he finished, "He wasn't your only friend," and to clarify, to ensure she understood him, he added, "not anymore at least."_

She startled at the tap on the glass of her door, forcing herself to smile at the sight of the intruder on the other side. Zelena. She motioned for the redhead to come in, asking, "What can I do for you?" when the other woman closed the door behind her.

"Oh, it's nothing really," her voice was saccharine, her smile almost verging on maliciously gleeful as she took in the bare walls and taped boxes, "just came to have a look at the place, see how you're getting on."

Regina could hear it for what it was, a poorly concealed hint that time was ticking and that she was no longer an editor here but now something of an intruder. "I'm almost done," she gave back, keeping her gaze steady and her tongue bitten – what she wouldn't give to tell the woman what she'd really thought of her for all of these years but she wasn't going to leave like that, she was going to be the epitome of class – "just saying goodbye to the place."

"Yes, well…" Zelena smiled with a shrug, "don't linger too long, will you?"

Regina matched her terribly fake laugh and watched as the redhead left with one last flash of her wicked smile and wave of her fingers. God, she was awful.

 _"_ _She gives you a run for your money, I'll say that much," Robin laughed before taking another swig from his bottle, giving an indignant but amused "hey!" when she threw her bottle cap at him in retaliation._

 _She watched the fire burning for a little while, allowing her thoughts to ebb and flow like the tide hidden by the dark of night before she was frowning and asking, "I'm not as bad as her, am I?"_

 _"_ _Asks the woman forcing me to marry her lest I lose my job?"_

 _He'd meant it to be playful, she can tell by his tone but his words pick at an already open wound because she's been thinking about it more and more these past few days. Thinking about just what she's asking him to do. It'd been easy in the beginning, he'd been nothing more than the assistant she relied on throughout the work day but she'd gotten to know him over these last few days, gotten to know his family and there've been promises made about spending holidays in one another's company despite the plan to get a quickie divorce in a couple of months._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Regina."_

 _"_ _Don't apologise," she laughed softly – it sounded forced even to her own ears – "you're right. I'm just as awful as Zelena, if not worse."_

She struggled to open the door with the box in her hands, managed to squeeze her way out but grunted when it swung and hit her in the back with a dull thud, winding her and dislodging something that fell to the floor with a great smash. Blinking open her eyes, her heart sunk when she realised it was the framed photograph of her father that had sat atop her desk for the duration of her time here.

Her resolve to remain strong and not show weakness in front of everyone faded as she stared helplessly at the only picture she had of him before she moved to bend and retrieve it.

"Let me."

She stilled, froze at the sound of his voice. "Robin?" She was almost sure she was imagining things because she'd left him back in England standing at the altar in front of all of his friends and family.

He lifted his head and blue eyes met her own. It really was him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the very same thing," he replied, dropping his gaze back to the ground so that he could scoop up the bigger shards of glass and the photograph between gentle hands, turning it and depositing it on top of the desk behind him before turning back to her. "A note was all you left me with?"

Her stomach flipped, she'd confessed to ridiculous things in that note expecting to never see him again. "I thought it was easier-"

"Than what?" he questioned, "than staying and having a real, adult conversation with me after everything that we've been through, after everything that happened."

"What was the point?" she shook her head, fighting against the tears building at the sight of him before her, "it wouldn't have changed anything. I'd still be the bitch boss forcing you to marry me."

"You know that you became so much more than that the moment we kissed."

 _She was shivering violently, kept warm only by the strong arm holding her against his body as he walked her up to their shared room. God, she must look like such an idiot._

 _It'd been too much for her to take though, being surrounded by love like that, the love of a parent and of a grandparent. She hadn't belonged to a family in so long and suddenly she did through their acceptance and care. "I'd forgotten what it felt like," she murmured, allowing him to sit her down on the edge of the bed as he moved to the drawer in which her things lay._

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _Her brow furrowed as she fought against her building tears, staring down at her fingers as she picked at her nails. "Having a family." But the damn broke and suddenly she was thrown into a fit of sobs as she lowered her head into her hands. At least now though, she couldn't fall off the side of a speedboat as she had done when she'd practically hijacked it to run away from her feelings._

 _He was kneeling before her in an instant, his palms on her upper arms as he tried to calm her with soothing words, pulling her against him and accepting her weight when she all but fell from the bed and onto his lap. Her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders as she pressed her face against his neck and allowed herself to be comforted for the first time in almost ten years._

 _Robin rocked them both and continued whispering those soothing words until she was able to catch her breath again. She let out a shuddered exhale before pulling back and wiping at her face. She was sitting sideways on his knees and kept from falling by strong hands at the base of her back. "I'm sorry," her head shook. She didn't deserve his kindness and so tried to pull away but he kept her in place._

 _"_ _Don't apologise for your feelings, Regina," he replied, lifting a hand to stroke damp hair from her face, "not to me." That touch lingered as another tear fell. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, catching the salty drop on his lips before trailing up to kiss her temple and then her forehead. It was endlessly soothing._

 _She found her palms moving to his chest, fingers curling in the damp material of his t-shirt and remaining when he pulled back enough to look at her. There was such depth in blue eyes, such emotion that she found herself almost transfixed by him. She couldn't be sure who moved first but, after a long moment, she found herself leaning into him until their mouths met in a sweet kiss that was nothing more than a gentle press but that stopped her heart completely._

"That should never have happened."

"But it did," he pressed on, "and I'm glad it did."

Her lips parted as she glanced at those not even pretending not to be watching the exchange and found herself shaking her head as she whispered, "I can't do this."

"Why not?"

Dark eyes found blue once more and, God, the sincerity there, the kindness, the patience…it only broke her heart further because, "You deserve so much more than me, Robin," her chin quivered as she continued, "you are a good man and me? I'm nothing but a monster."

His head tilted as he looked at her in that way that always had her feeling vulnerable and over-exposed, like he could see into her very soul. "Bold and audacious perhaps but not a monster," he shook his head a took a step closer to her, "nothing even close to a monster."

Her eyes closed when he cupped her cheek, the tears she'd been fighting back falling as she leaned into the touch and confessed softly, "I'm scared."

He chuckled, his hot breath washing over her skin as he replied, "Then that makes two of us."

The box dropped from her hands and hit the floor between them but neither paid it any mind as mouths met in a kiss filled with a desperate longing and hands scrabbled to thread into hair and grip at clothes, keeping them impossibly close as cheers erupted around them.

"Marry me, Regina," he whispered against her mouth in a break for air, smiling as he added, "because I'd really like to date you."


	147. The Price of Love

**Set pre-dark curse**

He comes to her tonight like he has done every time the moon is full, scales the castle wall and slips in through the billowing sheer curtains that do nothing to keep the night's chill from her skin.

His smile is wide, his eyes bright with the excitement of seeing her after one of their longer periods of separation - he's never promised to return, not even after that first time, but he always has and she knows that, given the chance, he always will - but it soon falls when he sees her, really sees her.

She's not kneeling ready for him at the foot of the bed as she so often is, not this time. Instead, she's standing beside her vanity, her back to him with arms folded across her chest and she's shivering. It's not from the cold though.

"M'lady," he begins, booted foot thudding lightly against the floor as he takes a tentative step forward, "has something happened?"

He's always read her so easily and she supposes, with the anguish burning through her belly, that it radiates off of her skin like a poisonous toxin, a noxious gas. Her body trembles as she shakes her head and sniffs, throat too thick to answer him properly.

He moves closer, slowly so as not to startle her - he knows of her past, of the life she's lived here, has seen most of it with his own two eyes - and gently curls his palm around her elbow. "May I look at you?"

He doesn't force her to turn but there's a gentle pressure that she lets spin her slowly on the spot until she's looking down at his booted feet. Her stomach constricts even more with the need to cry. He smells of home to her now.

His hand leaves her elbow and moves to her cheek as he breathes a gentle, "Regina…" and she wonders when she'd allowed such tenderness into their arrangement.

Her hand moves without her permission, arms unfolding as she lifts a palm to cover the back of his hand, holding it to her cheek as her chin trembles and her eyes lift to his. He looks every bit of handsome now as he had then when she'd been barely a woman but already a bride. "Do you love me?"

He blinks - it's nothing like she's ever asked him before - and frowns, "I don't understa-"

"Do you love me, Robin?"

And he must see something in her expression - the desperation, the heartbreak - for he swallows then and lifts his other hand to cup her other cheek as he whispers, "Can you not see it in my eyes?" he shakes his head as he strokes his thumb over the apple of her cheek, "In all the things that I've seen, out of all the places I've been, you will always be a part of my tapestry. You are the one constant in my life, Regina. I've loved you since I was a boy who understood nothing more than the thrill of the chase."

"You did something to me that first time that we met, something irreversible."

A lone tear falls from her eye to wet the top of his thumb. "Wrong answer."

He barely has time to register what she's said before her hand plunges into his chest.

 **The rest is up to your own interpretation...**


	148. Young Hearts, Run Free

She thinks if looks could kill then Emma Swan - her now _ex_ best friend - would most certainly be dead in her damn seat or, at the very least, Regina would've burned a hole right through her blonde head. She couldn't believe she'd been tricked into this.

"Let's go to the movies," she'd said over the phone, as breezily as if she'd just come up with the idea on a whim, "we can see that new Sandra Bullock rom-com everyone's been going crazy about."

It wasn't new, wasn't new at all but their tiny town didn't have the money to buy in on the newest blockbusters and so, most of the time, films from the 2000's onwards would be shown.

She'd agreed, with nothing better to do and a mother breathing down her neck about homework she'd already completed it would've been stupid to just stay home. She should've known though. Should've seen this coming.

He was perfectly respectful - no doubt as put out by all of this as she was - despite their usually sharp exchanges in the school halls - it wasn't really him, his best friend (Emma's date) Killian was an absolute tool and so, he was an idiot by association - but that didn't matter. She'd been tricked into this and so she was not going to enjoy it. Not one bit.

—

He couldn't believe that Killian had done this to him - he could, especially with Emma involved - could not believe that he'd allowed himself to be so blindsided into a double date with Regina Mills. He was sweating in his jeans.

Her palpable loathing of him should've put him off ages ago, should've scared him away from a, clearly, lost cause but there was just something about her that he couldn't help but fascinate on. Right now though, it was all he could do to keep his breathing steady with her so close by and smelling so damn good.

He hadn't heard a word of the film, despite having his eyes trained on the screen. It was nothing more than a blur of colour to him as he fought to keep his mind off what else he and Regina could be doing in different circumstances.

It didn't help that she'd worn a dark shade of lipstick that only accentuated her full lips and beautiful dark eyes.

—-

The rustle of popcorn caught her attention and, unthinkingly, she turned to find a bag on Robin's knee, his hand buried deep as he grabbed a handful. She'd heard him order it though - salted, who orders salted popcorn? - and so, turned her gaze back to the movie, studiously ignoring the bobbing heads of Emma and Killian as they made out in the row in front.

Her attention was caught once more however when a new bag was offered along with a shy smile. She looked from the telltale glaze of sweet flavouring that coated the popcorn to Robin with a question in her eyes.

"I remember you saying once that you hated salted popcorn," he shrugged as though it was no big deal - she couldn't even remember saying it - "you said that anyone who actually chose to eat the stuff needed their head checking." He was chuckling as she finally remembered the instance he was talking about.

It had been in their media class when they'd been talking about the appeal of movie theatres to consumers. That had been months ago though. "How did you even remember that?" In all honesty, despite appearances, she was rather touched that he'd gone to the trouble of actually buying her a separate bag.

He shrugged again, "Just seemed to stick with me."

Regina watched him for a long moment more, a little speechless, before she swallowed and tentatively reached for the offered bag. "Thank you," she murmured almost too quietly to hear but the widening of his smile - had he always had dimples? - told her he'd caught it.

He didn't watch for long though, only made sure that she'd gotten a proper grip on the bag before he turned back to the front.

—-

Jesus Christ, he looked like a stalker!

Of course he'd remembered the kind of popcorn she liked, he'd practically fantasised about this very moment since that discovery - not that he could tell her that. He also knew that she hated rom-coms (he was trying his best to pretend that her sour expression was due to the genre of film rather than his presence beside her), that just the thought of seafood made her feel queasy despite living in a fisherman dependant town and that horses were her favourite animals.

He'd learnt so only from her mouth in little tidbits during class, not that he'd ever tell her he knew such things, and had soaked up every single thing. Falling harder for her with each new discovery.

There were whispers about her homelife, about her strict mother - embellished of course by the nastier members of their student body who liked to create some sort of great drama out of things that had nothing to do with them - but Robin kept himself out of that. If ever he learned of Regina's life, he'd always want to hear it from her.

He wasn't sure when he'd first found himself so entranced by her but he knew that, without a doubt, he was already in way over his head.

—

She felt like an absolute bitch as she sat eating the popcorn he'd bought her. She'd been nothing but unpleasant from the moment they'd arrived here and still he was doing things like that.

In all honesty, he'd never been truly horrible to her, had only ever responded to her sarcasm with his own, retorts always given in jest, smirk always following her long after she'd left his sight. She'd always suspected that he might actually like her - had always internally denied that she, in fact, liked him back despite the way she always managed to run into him at least twice a day - but never had she actually believed it.

She was Regina Mills, child of an apparently abusive mother and an emotionally detached father. She had barely any friends and most certainly no admirers in that sense.

Still, she'd always felt a certain affinity both from and for Robin Locksley…perhaps her instincts had been right after all.

Exhaling a steady breath, she did something she'd never truly done before. She decided to leave it in the hands of fate and give Robin a chance. She'd always thought him to be attractive and she knew he wasn't a horrible person. Perhaps he could be good for her…if he actually did like her and she wasn't reading the signs wrong.

—-

It was another 10 minutes before anything of note happened and, actually, he'd found himself settling into his seat a little more after Regina's smile of thanks. It had been small but it has most certainly been a smile.

She moved beside him, their arms brushing for a quick moment as she leaned down to get something from her handbag - he shivered at the feeling of her skin sliding against his own - before she sat back once more. He swallowed thickly and tried to shake his reaction off but was caught off guard when a box of Reece's Pieces were offered out to him.

Glancing up at Regina's face, he found that she looked almost apprehensive, as though thinking that he was going smack the box away and laugh at her for the sheer notion of sharing candy.

He smiled at her, mouthing a quiet 'thank you' and reached in to take a couple of candies.

"They're uh…" she whispered, "they're just here if you want any more," she balanced them on the armrest between them, "feel free to take as many as you'd like."

He smiled again, "Thank you, Regina," and tried not to look too surprised by her change in attitude towards him. He also tried to hide the fact that fireworks were going off inside of his stomach.

—-

Forty minutes into the film and both Killian and Emma had barely come up for air. Robin had caught Regina's eye a couple of times and mimed vomiting with hands pressed to his stomach whilst she'd rolled her eyes at the pair of them and pretended to shout "get a room" which had pulled an audible chuckle Robin that'd gotten them a rather stern shushing from the lady behind them.

They'd returned to exchanging exasperated looks and stealing shy glances when they'd believed the other to be looking at the screen once more.

It was easier than she'd thought, being nice to him. His personality was rather infectious and she found his humour to be quite similar to her own.

It was only when they both happened to reach for the box of candy and their fingers brushed, did she feel anything more than a friendly enjoyment of him.

Something sparked in her, something that had her eyes flashing up to his as her whole body seemed to seize, unable to do anything but stare at crystal blue eyes as wide as her own. Her heart fluttered in her chest, anticipation skittering through her body for no apparent reason - she knew the reason, knew it as soon as Robin's eyes dropped to her lips and she felt absolutely no want to deny a kiss if he were to give it. She wanted it.

It seemed her subconscious did too for she felt herself slowly leaning towards him, barely breathing all the while.

"Do you guys wanna-"

They shot apart at the sound of Emma's voice, both turning with wide eyes to find a slow smile spreading across two sets of swollen lips.

"I think you interrupted something, Swan."

"Oh shit, no," she whined on a laugh, "pretend I didn't say anything."

It was too late though as Regina cleared her throat through an immense blush and turned to pick at non-existent dirt on her jeans and ignored their grinning friends.

She tried to swallow down her embarrassment and the ache of regret that didn't want to be ignored as she grabbed her purse and moved to slide from the aisle they were sat in.

—–

He spotted her on the sidewalk, shoving her phone into her purse and, much to his dismay, frowning through tears that were apparently falling without her consent.

"Regina!"

She startled at the call of her name, panic colouring her eyes when she looked over to find him jogging over to her. She didn't move to flee though and for that, if nothing else, he was glad.

"Please don't go," he breathed upon reaching her, "we don't have to stay here, we can go someplace else." She sniffed and dropped her gaze to the ground with her arms folded across her chest as she shook her head. "Please don't cry because if you cry then I'll start crying and where will that get us?"

It was a long shot, trying to joke when she was clearly upset but, thankfully, it paid off. Her smile was small but most certainly there when she glanced up at him but her eyes were so sad. She breathed a heavy sigh, shaking her head once more as she whispered, "I feel like such an idiot."

"Don't," he assured her on something that fell just short of a plea, "please don't, I've had such a good afternoon because of you. Don't let those fools ruin it for us."

Her head tilted as she studied him, errant strands of dark hair floating about her face on the gentle breeze as she took him in, no doubt looking for the lie or the mocking in his eyes. There was none of either, of course and so, after a long minute, she gave a sigh - more for show, he believed - before she asked, "What did you have in mind?"

His grin was wide and his heart light as he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Do you like the beach?"


	149. Always

"This is my favourite place to be," she whispered in the quiet of the night, nuzzling closer to him as the wind lifted loose strands of her hair. It wasn't cold, not really, but the night was drawing in and soon, regretfully, they'd have to leave. Even if only to keep her mother from pestering her and ruining their day together.

He turned his body into her own, lying upon his side on the grass bank and cradling her against him as he asked, "The park?"

She chuckled into his neck, placing a gentle kiss there before pulling back to look at him. He was so handsome, so wonderfully kind and handsome. She shook her head with a doe-eyed smile and replied, "In your arms."

His grin softened as he lifted a hand from her back to stroke back those errant strands from her face before he was leaning down enough to press a sweet kiss to her lips that lingered and had a warm hum rumbling within her.

Two years they'd been together and, despite the fact that they were just barely out of high school and about to move on to the next phases of their lives - Robin had taken a place at a college close to her own and both were in the midst of looking into apartments in between both schools despite her mother's protests - Regina knew that there was no one else in the world that she wanted beside her. "I love you," she whispered against his lips with a palm against his cheek, feeling the curve of his smile as it formed.

He turned his face and pressed a kiss to that palm. "I love you too, so much more than I believed I could love another person." She felt his hand leave her side but didn't take her eyes from his as he reached for something in his pocket. Something that glittered in the moonlight when he lifted it to show her.

"It's not an engagement ring," he assured her, "not yet, anyway," because they'd spoken of marriage, of waiting until they'd gotten through school and found themselves a more permanent place of residence and he was going to honour her wishes to wait, "but instead, it's a promise that, no matter what happens to us after graduation, no matter what challenges we face in New York, I will always be there for you and I will always share any part of me that you wish to have."

Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked into brilliantly blue eyes that shone with nothing but love and sincerity.

"Will you wear my ring, Regina?"

The answer wasn't too hard to find.


	150. What Kind of Life

**Robin comforts Regina when she finds out Daniel has been cheating on her**

"He kept repeating the same thing, over and over again." Her head shook, her scowl deepening as she recalled the previous night's events, "'It didn't mean anything, she doesn't mean anything to me.'"

"Do you think that's true?"

"In all honesty?" Regina turned her face to his, eyes dry but still sore from too many tears, "I'd prefer if it weren't."

Robin's brow furrowed - understandably, she thought - as he leaned back in his chair and asked, "I'm sorry?"

"He has thrown away everything that we've built together over the last fifteen years, every memory that I have of him is tainted, his relationship with his son will change, absolutely every single thing in our life has changed and for what?" she shrugged, "For some inconsequential little fling? For a woman he has absolutely no feelings for? A woman," her voice broke as she fought against her tightening throat and tears now stinging at his eyes, "he has torn his goddamn family apart for despite holding no love or affection towards her?" Her gaze dropped to the hands she had tightly clasped on the table as she tried to keep herself from falling apart completely once again. "Yes," she nodded, "I would prefer if it weren't true because otherwise…what kind of a fucking life have I been living?"


	151. Strong

**Robin comforts Regina when she tells him of Henry's conception through rape**

 **TW:Allusions to rape**

He found her in the back yard, feet bare and face tipped towards the stars. The night breeze blew gently at her dark hair, the strands tickling across her shoulders and upper back. She wore only her pyjama tank top with matching silk shorts.

It was cold but not bitter when he stepped from the warmth of the kitchen. His steps were muffled by the soft grass over which he walked but she knew he was there regardless. Still, she said nothing as he came to a stop beside her and he wasn't going to push her to.

Her tears - the traitorous few that had managed to escape despite her will to remain strong - had stopped but tracks still glistened upon her moonlit skin and he itched to take her hand, to lace their fingers loosely and listen to the tale on the tip of her tongue. It was her decision though.

It didn't take her long.

"I have never let what happened define me and I will never let it define him."

He took his eyes from the thick trunk of her apple tree and turned his head to look at her. Her jaw was set, eyes hard as they bore into the same wood his had and her arms were folded across her chest - her defences were up.

"I am not a victim and Henry is not a boy to be pitied," she wasn't speaking directly to him, he knew from the very fact that she knew him too well to believe he would ever think those things of her and her son.

Still, he replied, "Quite right."

That had her face turning to his, apprehension in those beautifully dark eyes despite her hard expression. "Do you think any less of me for not telling you?"

"Why should I?" he answered without hesitation, "your past is your own to give, Regina," Robin assured her, "whenever, however and with whomever you wish to do so. Mary Margaret had absolutely no right today," he shook his head, his own expression hardening, "no right at all to take that choice away from you."

She was nodding gently, eyes focused solely on his even as her lip began to tremble and her expression began to crumple beneath the weight of her emotions. He caught her the very moment she stumbled a half step towards him.

He'd always loved her without heels - he adored her in the things; all toned calves and tanned legs - loved that he could fold her into his arms and take a breath filled with her; with the feel of her, the smell of her. She felt even smaller to him now and so very vulnerable as she buried her face against his chest and cried with great fistfuls of his shirt either side of her head.

It would be a few long moments more - it could've been minutes or hours, he couldn't be sure - before she'd lean a little heavier against him, lulled by his gentle rocking and the soothing fingers in her hair. A few moments more before he'd bend and scoop her up into his hold and carry her back into the house like the most precious of cargo.

In the morning, they would speak of what had transpired today and Robin would use the excuse of a lack of milk in the house in order to steal away for long enough to find David and ensure that his wife was warned away from the mansion for the next couple of days because the Mayor would be taking the weekend off.

He'd return to gentle smiles and glossy eyes and would hold his love until she'd told him the awful truth of her past and the one gift that had come for it - her son.

Yes, their life would move forward for the better once this night was over but for now, for now he was content to hold the strongest woman he'd ever met in his arms and soothe her pain, silently vowing to ensure she never felt such a thing ever again.


	152. Stay

"Because I love you!" she all but screamed, uncaring of the diner full of people behind her as she pushed through the door, desperate sobs escaping her as she watched him storm down the pathway and away from her, his car packed and ready.

 _"_ _Give me one good reason to stay."_ He'd asked of her, right there in front of everyone they knew, in front of all the people they'd been hiding their relationship - it was a relationship, despite all of her stubbornness, it was a relationship - from because of Regina's idiotic hesitance when it came to love. She'd lost everyone she loved - her mother, her father, her first love - and it wasn't with her own hand that they'd been taken from her but by fate's.

She'd said nothing, merely stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips, not a sound escaping her as blood had thundered in her ears, muffling her awareness of anything but him.

 _"_ _I won't live my life in the shadows with you, Regina."_

He'd threatened to leave only that morning and she'd told him coldly to go - he couldn't be hurt if he was no longer near her - but she was weak and the moment he'd stepped past her, she'd caught sight of his truck outside and all that filled it. His things.

Her chest was heaving, eyes blurred with her tears as she fell helplessly to the ground with bare knees scraping against the gravel of the path. She didn't feel it though for nothing could compare to the pain of her breaking heart. He was leaving. Leaving and never coming back it seemed and once again she'd be left all alone.

Her sobs were silent as her eyes pressed closed and her hand lifted to cover her mouth, her free arm wrapped around her stomach as she rocked back and forth, body trembling even under the bright sun beaming down on her.

"Did you mean that?"

Her head shot up, breath catching and sticking in her threat when she found him stood just before her with eyes steady on her own, his breathing just as ragged. "I-"

"Did you mean it, Regina?" He asked again, shaking his head as he walked closer to her, "because if this is some kind of trick, some fake declaration that you'll deny making later then-"

"It's not a trick," she replied, tone edging on pleading, "it's nothing but the truth and I will climb up onto that damn rooftop and scream it for the entire town to hear if you'll just say that you won't go. You can't leave me, I won't let you," she cried, shaking her head as she lifted up onto her knees, sobs audible even as she spoke through them, "I've been stupid and I've been scared and I've let my past hold me back. I was going to let you walk out of this town and not give you a second thought but I can't Robin," she spluttered, "I can't because I love you more than anything I have ever loved in this world and the thought of not seeing you every day, of not fighting with you or kissing you or making love to you-" she ignored those behind her, most definitely pressed up against the window and watching the spectacle outside, "I can't bear it, Robin, I just can't-"

She was cut off by the desperate press of lips against her own, by hands grasping at her cheeks with fingers buried in her hair and knees pressed against her own on the ground.

Her hands took great fistfuls of his shirt as she pulled herself closer, their heaving chests brushing with every sharp breath they took as they kissed and kissed and kissed.

"Say it again," he whispered against her lips before capturing them once more, "please say it again."

Her hands moved up from his chest to his neck, fingers scratching at his scalp as she replied, "I love you," tilting her head for better access to his lips, "I love you so, so much."

And when he kissed her again, she could practically taste his decision. He was staying here with her.


	153. Kiss Me

The first kiss they share, outside and beside the doors through which the cafeteria takes its food deliveries, is closed-lipped and as soft as it is sweet. Thirteen year olds caught in the shy awkwardness of things a little more adult than their years but they know what they feel for one another and when the bell sounds for the end of lunch, they'll share another sweet kiss before running off to their separate classes with idiotic grins that last far longer than Math and Chem Lab.

The first time Robin puts his tongue in Regina's mouth, a muffled squeal sounds against his lips before she pulls back and looks at him wide eyed. They're fifteen and have been nominated for seven minutes in heaven. He spends the next six minutes teaching Regina how the French kiss.

The first time she tells Robin that she loves him, he's buried to the hilt inside of her in her college dorm room, his face tucked into the crook of her neck and he thinks he's imagined it, pulls back to find her dark eyes steady on his own and shimmering with tears and moonlight. She lifts her head from the pillow and captures his lips in a kiss that has him trembling from head to toe and in absolutely no doubt that he'd heard her correctly. His own utterance comes only 2 minutes after he does.


	154. Caught

**M-Rated**

She was on her knees, straddling his lap with her hands cupping his jaw and keeping him from moving even an inch away from her - not that he wanted to with the way he was kneading at her ass with greedy handfuls - as she stroked her tongue along the length of his in slow passes that had her whimpering into his mouth.

Her hair was a dark curtain around their faces, the scent of it driving him even madder for her as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss further. She was absolutely intoxicating and, despite the fact that Emma and Killian were literally only two walls away from them, he found himself in need of more of her.

They too had been lost in one another when both he and Regina had moved from the living room to her study to grab the crystal decanter of cider since they'd polished off the two bottles of wine that the other couple had brought as well as a hefty amount of Robin's brandy. He'd pulled Regina back against his chest the moment the door had closed behind them, whispered into her ear hotly that he couldn't wait to get her alone and fuck the life out of her. His words had had the desired effect, had worked almost too well with their current position - the cider sat forgotten about on the coffee table - but, as she pushed harder against him, rocking her body with his kneading, he found himself completely uncaring.

The double date - or so Henry had called it despite Regina's insistence that it was nothing of the sort - had gone well. His beautiful lady had managed civilised conversation with the pirate, even going as far as thanking him for teaching Henry to sail - she'd been at least a bottle of wine in at that point - before Emma had asked about taking both Henry and Roland with them one weekend for a sailing trip and conversation had turned back to their children.

All in all - now in particular - the evening had been wonderful and he had a feeling that it was only just getting started.

Robin trailed a hand around from her delectable rear, following the waistband of her jeans - they'd been driving him crazy all night long, the denim clinging to her in all of the right places - until he found and thumbed at the button holding them closed. They opened easily, the zipper parting and, were he able to pull away from her sinful mouth for long enough to look, he knew he'd be offered a glimpse of the black lace he'd caught sight of her in that morning. The memory of it only had him more eager as he slipped his hand into the limited space and cupped her over her panties.

"Fuck!" She exhaled sharply against his lips, forehead tipping clumsily to rest against his own as her brow creased and she dropped into the contact as he rubbed gentle circles with his palm.

Robin ducked his head enough to nose at her jaw, a silent request for her to tilt her face up towards the ceiling so that he could suck wet kisses along the underside of her jaw as he shifted his hand as best he could to push aside her panties and slide his finger through her soaked folds before slowly pushing up and into her.

She hissed a heady expletive as her hands moved down to grip at his shoulders, giving herself enough leverage to rock down onto him when he pushed another finger into her tight, wet entrance.

"You're so wet, my love," he groaned, gritting his teeth as her nails bit into his shoulders and she nodded, a breathless Uh huh, before she was biting at her bottom lip and dropping her face to his neck with a desperate moan.

He curled his fingers, pressing against her in ways that he knew drove her absolutely crazy for him and just the sound of her desperate cries muffled by the skin of his neck had him growing painfully hard beneath her. Any thought of their guests was gone from both of their minds as Regina grew closer and closer to that precipice, nails digging into him almost painfully as she bit at his neck.

"Hey guys, we're gonna head ou-Oh my God!"

"Jesus, mate."

"Don't you fucking stop."

"We'll just go."

She was still riding his fingers as the study door slammed shut behind a rather scarred Emma and Killian, the pair having walked in at the most inopportune time but despite that Regina carried on, too far gone to care it seemed.

He felt her walls beginning to flutter around his fingers as her cries grew louder and uninhibited with the pretence of doing anything other than what they were gone with the intrusion.

In all honesty, despite knowing that their next meeting was going to be unbearably awkward, Robin felt no shame in what they were doing, in enjoying each other in such a way. They'd earned far more than the right to fuck with all that has been thrown at them so, with one last thought for Emma and Killian, Robin quieted his mind and focused only on the absolute wonder writhing in ecstasy above him.


	155. Footprints

**TW: Angst - miscarriage**

Her fingers swirled over the skin of his wrist, tracing the inked pattern there as she leaned heavier against his side. His other arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her to him whilst he pressed kisses to her cheek, her jaw, the crook of her neck.

Her crying had stopped, tear tracks drying on the cheeks he kissed but her shuddered breaths remained.

"How long?" she breathed, voice hoarse from her sobbing as her thumb rubbed over his skin.

He turned his head to press a kiss to her temple as he whispered, "Two days," in response. She merely nodded before lifting his left arm and pressing a kiss to his wrist, to the artfully outlined trail of little footprints that marked the loss of their baby.

"I love it," she whispered after a long moment, cradling his arm in her hold like the babe she never got to.

His swallowed through the thickness in his throat and laid his head against hers once more before whispering back, "And I love you."


	156. A Happy Mistake

"Looks like we're the chosen ones over Christmas," Robin commented as he looked over the rota they hadn't had a chance to peruse earlier with the crowd of late nighters that had quite suddenly piled in and ruined their plans of finishing at a reasonable time. It was now 3am and they'd just about finished cleaning the place up ready for the morning staff to arrive in a mere 4 hours' time.

Regina sighed, throwing down the cloth she'd been using to clean the bar top and moving to peer over his shoulder. "I knew it," she shook her head with a tired scowl, "Gold is such an asshole."

"Oh, I don't know," Robin grinned as he swayed enough to nudge her hip with his own, "if I had to be stuck working with anyone over Christmas, I'm glad it's you."

Her cheeks flamed even as she rolled her eyes and replied, "Be real," moving to grab her cloth once more and hide how his words had her so affected, "you're just glad it's not Zelena."

He chuckled, reattaching the rota to the clipboard he'd taken it from and slipping it back into the space beside one of the tills before he moved to lean against the pass-through, watching as she reassembled the newly cleaned coffee machine in front of him. "Whilst that is true," she scoffed and threw him a look over her shoulder before turning back to her task, "I do mean it, Regina. I always enjoy working with you. We just work."

"It's because we're the sanest people in this place!"

"You? Sane!?" he teased, catching the cloth she promptly turned and threw at him in feigned retaliation, "I beg to differ, short stuff."

"I am not short!"

He levelled her with a look that echoed his earlier sentiment of disbelief before he shrugged and told her, "It's nothing to be ashamed of," his eyes travelled the length of her before meeting her gaze once more, "I think you're cute." Her lips parted as she sucked in a gasp, completely offended, "pocket sized."

She moved to banter back, he could see it in those lovely eyes but, instead, she merely shook her head and raised her palms. "I'm not rising to it," she narrowed her eyes at him, "that's exactly what you want me to do."

"Oh, come on," he whined, taking a step closer to her as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned further back against the counter, "don't spoil it!"

She rolled her eyes at him, "You're such a child."

"And you," he chuckled as he drew toe to toe with her, lowering his voice to a whisper as he leaned in, "need to have more fu-"

She closed the distance between them, joining their lips in a kiss that was long overdue and lingeringly sweet. Her palms lifted slowly to cup his jaw as their lips parted only to close around one another's again and Robin brought an arm around her waist to pull her tighter to him.

Their breaths were ragged pants by the time they pulled apart, both equally affected but it wasn't until Robin began to chuckle that Regina was pulled fully back into the present as she frowned at him.

"What are you laughing at?" hurt coloured her eyes as embarrassment flamed upon her cheeks.

He was quick to assuage her worry, however, when he ducked down to steal another kiss from her lips, waiting until she began to kiss back before he parted from her once more and brought his other hand from behind her, revealing a bottle of whiskey from the shelf to her right. "I was just going to suggest a quick drink before we locked up for the night," he nudged his nose against hers, grinning at the realisation on her face before he brushed his lips lightly over hers and whispered, "but your idea was much better."


End file.
